A 34-year-old man is charged after breaking into the former police headquarters in Winnipeg's Exchange District.

Police were called to the Public Safety Building at 151 Princess St. just after 8 p.m. Wednesday. After a search by the tactical unit, the man was found inside and taken into custody.

The building — which has been unoccupied since July 2016, following the Winnipeg Police Service's move into its new Graham Avenue headquarters — is heavily alarmed. Police were notified by the alarm system as the suspect wandered through the building.

The building is mostly vacant, "but there are a few areas that continue to support our operations and that's the reason the building is monitored and heavily alarmed," said police spokesman Const. Jay Murray.

Police don't believe the man had access to any of those areas.

A police officer stands on the steps leading to the old Public Safety Building on Wednesday night. (Jaison Empson/CBC)

The man was also found to be wanted on an arrest warrant related to a stolen vehicle.

He has been charged with break and enter, possession of property obtained by crime and failure to comply with a probation order.