US police are using Pokémon Go to lure criminals to their stations

Virginia’s Smithfield Police Department invited eight ‘random citizens’ to catch super-rare Ditto in their processing room, after New Hampshire police employed same tactic

 Smithfield police department invited selected citizens to catch a rare Pokemon in a tongue-in-cheek post on Facebook. Two weeks ago, police in New Hampshire did the same. Photograph: Made Nagi/EPA

From The Guardian

There can’t be any doubts now of Pokémon Go’s world domination – even the police are getting in on the action.

A police station in Virginia is using its Facebook page to invite “random citizens” to try and catch a super-rare Pokémon in their processing room.

It’s worth noting no one has actually caught Ditto in the game yet, but that’s not what the police are hoping get caught – their “random citizens” all have outstanding warrants .

The administrator of Smithfield Police Department’s page Sgt. Bryan Miller told The Virginian Pilot he decided to make a list of eight people with outstanding warrants a little more exciting. “I have a sense of humour,” he said. “I had no idea it was going to be this big.” He added he wasn’t expecting anyone to actually turn up.

Of course, this isn’t even the first time this has happened since Pokémon Go was released.

Two weeks ago, police in New Hampshire did the same but with a Charizard – another sought after Pokémon.

While it’s unlikely any of the “lucky” few named in either post will actually come forward, police have actually already caught one criminal thanks to Pokémon Go.

A man in Detroit cycled to his local police station, which was also a gym in the game, to play. Unfortunately for him, police officers recognised him as someone with an arrest warrant.