Gotta Catch ‘Em All!

Two would-be robbers attempted to enjoy the recent spate of scorching summer sunshine in style by absconding with decking from a private commercial property in Wheatley, Doncaster last weekend. The brazen duo would have gotten away with their dastardly crime, too, if it wasn’t for a bunch of pesky kids.

Unbeknownst to the sun-bathing bandits, a group of friends were running around the abandoned builder’s yard where the crime took place, swiping on their phones in a frantic manner. No, they hadn’t just stumbled across Tinder – the gang were partaking of the joys of PokemonGo.

Pikachu to the rescue

The game has enjoyed an incredible upsurge in popularity since its release in the UK earlier this month and has already been downloaded by millions of Britons in the short space of time it’s been available. While some critics have written it off as a waste of time, this latest crime-busting incident from Doncaster shows it can have other upsides apart from getting gamers out of darkened rooms and into the fresh air.

The gang – who are presumed to be young scamps but in reality, could be aged anywhere between 5 and 50 years old, judging by the game’s popularity demographics – stumbled into the industrial site in search of a rare Pokemon and instead found themselves witnesses to a spot of skulduggery. Abandoning the hunt for Pikachu, they instead called up the Old Bill, who arrived just in time to catch the robbers red-handed.

Police grateful to Pokemon… this time

South Yorkshire Police issued a statement of gratitude on their Facebook page, dubbing the gamers “budding search heroes” and wishing them luck in their quest to catch ‘em all.

“I never thought I would write this headline but #‎PokemonGo /#‎Pokemon has helped fight crime in #‎Doncaster,” writes the SYP’s social media manager. “The group of friends have given their statements and we wish them well on their quest to find more #‎Pokemon things… yes I have no idea what a Pokemon is but I am sure someone will happily educate me!”

While this particular Pokemon yarn had a happy ending, the game’s addictive and all-consuming nature has not always gone down a treat with the cops. Just two days after its UK release, three students had their phones pilfered by an opportunistic ruffian while playing the game. Two days after that, Gloucestershire Police were forced to release a statement discouraging the use of 999 as a hotline for Pokemon theft, after one caller claimed he had his creature stolen by someone else (an impossibility in the game and an absurd state of affairs in real life).

Technology enhances security

While technology and crime prevention were fortuitous bedfellows in this particular caper, there is no denying that the former helps the latter immensely in all walks of life. Whether it’s your home or your business you wish to safeguard from crooks, criminals and convicts, Blackburn Alarms have a whole host of intruder alerts, CCTV security cameras and access control systems to increase safety and give you peace of mind.

To find out more about how we can help safeguard your home or workplace, get in touch with us today.