Building giant Mace, the company behind the Shard, have been forced to put up notices on their construction sites warning Pokémon Go players to keep out, following instances of trespassing.
The warnings, up on site hoardings around their construction sites, include “No playing Pokémon Go beyond this point”, and “Wild Pokémon not permitted on this site.”
The hit mobile game involves walking to physical locations to locate virtual Pokémon, or ‘pocket monsters’, and then ‘catching’ them using the app to add to the player’s team. It is the latest reinvention of the Nintendo game which first became a craze in the ‘90s.
Players have been caught trespassing on potentially dangerous sites in pursuit of the digital creatures, despite the game’s own warnings, which often pop up, reading ‘Do not enter dangerous areas while playing Pokémon Go.’
Last year, there were 35 deaths and around 65,000 injuries on construction sites, according to the Health and Safety Executive.
These warnings are in addition to an alert from Scotland Yard recently, calling Pokémon Go players to be vigilant, following a mini crime spree, mostly affecting Londoners, targeting those playing the game in public. This involved several instances of phone snatching.
Steven George-Hilley, director of technology at the Parliament Street think tank, which obtained the figures, said: “Unfortunately, location-based augmented reality gaming often means users ignore personal security risks. These figures should serve as a wake-up call for consumers to remain vigilant when enjoying mobile games.”
In total around 300 incidents have been recorded by police forces across England and Wales since the game’s launch less than 2 months ago.