IGP: Cops can play Pokemon GO

KUALA LUMPUR: Police have no plans to follow their Indonesian counterparts in barring personnel from playing the Pokemon GO mobile gaming application.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said he saw no harm in letting policemen play the game as it did not involve illegal betting or pose a threat to national security.

“Pokemon GO? It has yet to come to Malaysia, right? Well, it is not a problem. We have not seen any reason for us to impose a ban (on policemen) from playing it.

“It is just a game. Unless it involves gambling or poses a security threat, we don’t have any objection,” he said at the police training centre here.

Khalid was responding to a question on whether Bukit Aman would follow an Indonesian police order for their personnel not to play the game.

Pokemon GO is the latest game based on the Japanese animation series.

It is centred on fictional characters called Pokemon that are captured and trained for battle by human Pokemon trainers for sport.

Pokemon GO allows smartphone users to travel between the real world and virtual world of Pokemon, where they play as Pokemon Trainers searching for Pokemon to battle others in real locations.

Since its release on July 6, there have been cases of traffic accidents and players being arrested for trespassing in several countries.