Robbers and paedophiles target Pokémon gamers
It’s a fun game, say police, but players must be careful
POLICE are tackling a mini crimewave sparked by Pokémon Go as robbers, thieves and even potential paedophiles target gamers.
Almost 300 offences have been reported nationwide since the popular smartphone app was launched. Players entranced by the game as they hunt virtual Pokémon creatures have inevitably been rich pickings for thieves.
Two major urban forces said professional thieves even used the game to set up “lures” to entice victims to one place.
But in Surrey, police were called when a hunt for presumably one of the rarer “finds” descended into a mass brawl involving 30 people.
Officers also received reports of gamers – many of whom are young children – trespassing on railway lines and in the road.
And in one troubling incident in North Wales, police investigated a man who invited children back to his home “as he had lots of Pokémon at his address”.
Launched in the UK in July, Pokémon Go is a hugely popular game in which cartoon creatures are projected on to real locations using the phone’s camera. But now, data released by 29 forces to the BBC under freedom of information laws has revealed the extent of the challenges posed in the first month of its release.
Greater Manchester Police and the Met recorded incidents of Pokémon lures being set up, as robbers used the game to distract victims before snatching their mobile phones.
South Yorkshire Police said a player had been punched and had their phone taken by three “unknown assailants”.
British Transport Police recorded two incidents of children walking on railways, and several drivers were spotted playing at the wheel.
Other incidents were less clear. West Midlands Police referred to someone being “offered sexual favours” and a troubled woman contacted West Yorkshire Police concerned that Pokémon characters were trying to “get into her home”. And West Mercia Police recorded a “road accident while playing Pokémon” but didn’t provide any more details.
Lancashire Constabulary logged 39 incidents – the highest figure. West Mercia Police recorded 32 incidents, the second highest, while Thames Valley and North Yorkshire logged just two each.
Most forces declined specify further details including how many arrests had been made, with several citing ongoing investigations.
Sergeant Neil Dewson-Smyth, of Cheshire Police, said the figures were “worrying”.
He said: “For me the key message is do not play it while driving. It’s a fun game, but play safe and don’t put lives at risk.”
Lancashire Police said: “People should avoid potentially dangerous locations that could make you vulnerable to injury or become a victim of crime.”