Police urging Pokémon safety
WARNING ISSUED TO GAME PLAYERS IN SUNDERLAND
Police in Sunderland are reminding mobile gamers using Pokémon Go not to put their own safety in danger.
The new mobile game app has been sweeping the nation and sending messages to gamers telling them where to find Pokemon.
However, some of the locations of the virtual creatures are located in places which could see the user potentially put themselves in danger, such as getting too close to dangerous edges.
Officers want to remind children and parents not to put themselves at unnecessary risk.
The NSPCC has also released a guide for parents to keep children safer while playing on the app.
Southern Area Command Chief Inspector Paul Milner said: “Pokémon Go is a fantastic game, it gets people out and about visiting new places and is great fun.
“I want to make it clear that the last thing we want to do is spoil that fun for people. However, we are mindful that the school holidays are coming up and we know children will be playing the game and want to make sure they are safe.
“We’ve been made aware that some children may be putting themselves at danger by getting too close to cliff edges, and we just want to remind children and parents to make sure they keep a safe distance from edges.
“I’ve been reliably informed that you can still catch Pokémon from quite a distance, and while they might not be as close as they would like, it is important children are not putting themselves in danger.”
The NSPCC has issued a parents guide to Pokémon Go, with tips and advice for keeping children safe while playing the game.
It came after the children’s charity’s chief executive Peter Wanless wrote to the game’s owners urging them to make the app safe before launch. The charity is worried offenders could target unsuspecting children by using the app’s geolocation feature to lure them into traps.
In his letter to owners Nintendo and Niantic before the game launched in the UK, he said: “Given Pokémon’s already massive popularity with children, the NSPCC is concerned that basic safety standards appear to have been overlooked,” he wrote.
“I urge you to urgently reassess your app and its security and safety features.
“We all have a responsibility to ensure children are protected and as creators of a game with substantive reach, you have a responsibility to protect your young users.”