Calgary Police inundated with calls related to Pokemon Go
Posted Jul 29, 2016 8:23 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Calgary Police have received more than 100 calls in the past week over the popular cell phone game Pokemon Go.
They’ve been getting a variety of complaints from suspicious person calls, to trespassing and loitering and it has officers issuing another friendly reminder about the app.
“The app is great in that it gets people outside and in the fresh air and it does have a lot of extra eyes on the street as well, all we do is remind people be respectful of residents because a lot of calls we’ve been getting are a lot of large groups hanging around at 1 o’clock in the morning causing a lot of noise,” said Constable Mark Smith.
The good news, he says, is that they’ve all been good kids and they haven’t had to lay a single charge since the launch of the game.
“A lot of the issues that have been occurring across North America is people entering into cemeteries and churches. We’re asking people to bear in mind where you are and also be careful of your personal security as well.”
Smith says if you’re going into a dark area or in a very busy area, watch for traffic or other individuals.
“And please, please don’t be driving a vehicle and playing the app as well, we’ve already had quite a few of those calls where people have been driving around trying to catch some Pokémon which is certainly not recommended.”
There have been some good stories involving the police and the game.
“There have been some good reports as well where some Pokémon Go players reported a drunk driver that they witnessed and there was also another incident where a person playing the Pokémon Go app helped protect someone who was about to be attacked by someone else,” he said. “While there have been a lot of negatives, there have also been positives as well.”
“We have informed all of our members about the app so they’re aware.”
“The other thing I would say is if you are breaking into vehicles or something like that, if you’re going to say you were playing the app, it’s not a get out of jail free card.”
Smith says for those people playing the game and having fun, do so and be respectful.
