Police offer advice for PS3 events

Marylebone Police are offering advice for anyone planning to attend the midnight launch event for PlayStation 3 following concerns about public safety.

"We do not support these midnight launches, that is the bottom line. There are inherent problems we can't deal with easily," a police spokesperson told our sister site GamesIndustry.biz.

"If the launches do go ahead, we have to negate the issues as far as we can, but we can't remove the risk factors for people coming to or going away from the store."

The PS3 will launch in Europe on Friday 23rd March, and Virgin Megastores's flagship Oxford Street branch will host a special midnight event to mark the occasion.

According to police, no crowds will be allowed to gather on the street outside - the main concern is for new PS3 owners making their way home.

The police spokesperson offered the following advice for anyone planning to attend the launch:

• Don't travel to or from the event alone; bring a friend or parent
• Bring a mobile phone and let people know where you are
• Don't bring cash to pay for your PS3
• Don't make it obvious that you are carrying a PS3; take it home in an unmarked bag
• Use only licensed taxi cabs to travel home

But the best advice of all, according to police: "Don't attend the launch event. Pre-order your console and pick it up during the daytime."

Sony said it is doing everything it can to ensure safety at the event, with a spokesperson stating, "Both Sony PlayStation and Virgin Megastores take the safety and comfort of consumers extremely seriously.

"We've liaised with both the police and Westminster Council, and put a number of measures in place to ensure that everyone attending the midnight launch gets home safely."

To read more about what the police reckon and find out what the council has to say about it all, visit GamesIndustry.biz