Aussie Cops Tell Pokemon Fans To Stay Outside

Australian police have (politely) warned Pokemon players not to enter a police station during their search for virtual pokemon. It’s an unintended result of a mobile augmented reality game.

Pokemon Go involves hunting down pokemon and related items in real world locations. When found, the character appears as an overlaid graphic on the real image from a phone or tablet camera. Flicking a virtual Pokeball on the screen will “capture” the character.

While many of the characters are hidden in high-profile locations such as the Eiffel Tower, some are arguably less glamorous, including a police station in Australia where the game had an initial test period before extending worldwide. It appears that’s led to some unwanted visitors inside the facility, leading the force to issue a notice reading:

For those budding Pokemon Trainers out there using Pokemon Go — whilst the Darwin Police Station may feature as a Pokestop, please be advised that you don’t actually have to step inside in order to gain the pokeballs.

It’s also a good idea to look up, away from your phone and both ways before crossing the street. That Sandshrew isn’t going anywhere fast.

Stay safe and catch ’em all!