FOUR young boys who allegedly donned clown masks to scare several people in the Cairns CBD and break into a hotel have been charged.

It is alleged the boys, three aged 14 and a 12-year-old, terrorised several people around the city on Saturday night and early on Sunday morning, jumping in front of them in the masks.

It comes after a raft of incidents across the world involving people dressing up as clowns and scaring bystanders.

There have been several previous sightings in Cairns, involving one last week where a teenage boy with autism was chased by a clown holding a knife.

Police charged the group of boys on Sunday after they were caught by security guards at a Cairns North hotel.

Far North police Acting Ins­pector Mick Gooiker said the group had allegedly broken into two apartments at the Lake St complex.

He said they allegedly stole several items from inside the units, including mobile phones, cash and electronics.

“They had allegedly tried to enter the underground carpark,” he said. “They were detained by ­security at the hotel.”

Acting Insp Gooiker said the boys were allegedly wearing the masks during at least one of the break-ins.

“But there is no suggestion of any weapons being used or of them being armed,” he said.

The boys have each been charged with four counts of enter premise and steal, two counts of wilful damage and one count of public nuisance, which relates to the alleged mask-wearing incidents in the CBD.

It is alleged the group was running up behind unsuspecting pedestrians and scaring them before fleeing. Police have seized CCTV footage.

The boys will be dealt with under the provisions of the Youth Justice Act 1992.

Queensland Police have previously issued a warning to anyone who dresses up as a clown with the intent to frighten or injure people.

“Police will not tolerate anyone engaging in intimidating or anti-social behaviour,” a spokesman said last week.

“Police will treat all reported matters seriously and people need to be aware that, by engaging in these activities, they may be committing criminal offences or become victims of crime themselves.”