New South Wales" (NSW) Department of Justice has taken to Facebook to alert Pokémon GO players to the fact that they shouldn"t be using recording devices (phones) in NSW courts. The post is accompanied by a picture of a crying Pikachu with a stop sign and a message alerting "Trainers" that they needn"t bother come in the courthouse just to catch “digital critters.”
The message posted by the Justice department reads:
“GOING TO COURT IS NOT A GAME: POKÉMON GO TRAINERS SHOULD LOOK ELSEWHERE FOR DIGITAL CRITTERS. Attention budding Pokémon trainers: you do not need to step inside a Courthouse to find Pokémon. A reminder that the use of recording devices in NSW Courts is prohibited under the Court security act 2005 – section 9 – and carries a $22,000 fine or imprisonment for 12 months (or both). Stay safe and catch "em all!”
Pokémon GO has only launched in a handful of countries since its release on July 6. In that time Australian authorities have already issued other warnings about the game. Last time, The Northern Territory Police, Fire and Emergency Services posted a similarly worded post to Facebook, alerting people they don"t have to step into Darwin Police Station (which may be a Pokéstop) to gain Pokéballs, they also warned users to be careful crossing roads when playing.
Pokémon GO has received tonnes of attention since its release, it was so popular that the UK launch of the game was delayed until the game maker, Niantic, could fix the server issues that people were experiencing.