Not its natural habitat (Alamy/Mylo)

People playing the new Pokemon Go game have annoyed authorities by trying to ‘catch ’em all’ in a police station.

In case you missed it, Pokemon Go is an augmented reality mobile game that lets you catch Pokemon in the real world.

For example, to catch water Pokemon you’ll need your phone’s GPS to be near a river or the ocean.

Or to catch sandshrew, one of the prime locations is apparently outside Darwin Police Station in northern Australia.


Officers stationed there took to Facebook to warn people they didn’t need to physically go inside to complete the game, and urged not to put themselves in danger by not focusing on traffic.

For those budding Pokemon Trainers out there using Pokemon Go – whilst the Darwin Police Station may feature as a… Geplaatst door Northern Territory Police, Fire and Emergency Services op Dinsdag 5 juli 2016

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‘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,’ they said.

‘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!’

How does the game work? At the moment, it is not available in the UK. It was released today in the US and Australia. Here’s what the creators had to say: ‘As you move around, your smartphone will vibrate to let you know you’re near a Pokémon. Once you’ve encountered a Pokémon, take aim on your smartphone’s touch screen and throw a Poké Ball to catch it. ‘Be careful when you try to catch it, or it might run away! Also look for PokéStops located at interesting places, such as public art installations, historical markers, and monuments, where you can collect more Poké Balls and other items.’ Source: Pokemon Go.

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