# Norfolk police warn of alarming clown epidemic **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 29, 2013, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/norfolk-police-warn-of-alarming-clown-epidemic/675037 "2013-11-29T00:42:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2013, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/norfolk-police-warn-of-alarming-clown-epidemic/675037/1 "2013-11-29T00:42:25Z")
I know we have some international Dopers here so I just wanted to spread the word. Fortunately, The Guardian is on the job. > [@](#): > > A police force has told members of the public to ignore people dressed as clowns if they meet them in the street. > > Norfolk police received a report from a member of the public alarmed by a clown sighting in Gaywood, near King’s Lynn, on Tuesday evening. > > \ > > Superintendent Carl Edwards said no one had been injured or assaulted. He added that it seemed whoever was behind the makeup was probably trying to shock people and it was best not to give them the attention. > > Officers would patrol areas where the reports had been made and, if they found any clowns, they would “offer them strong words of advice”, he said. "Firstly I’d like to stress that it isn’t against the law to dress up as a clown. > **[Norfolk police warn of alarming clown epidemic](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/nov/28/norfolk-police-warn-alarm-clown-norfolk)** > > Public told not to approach anyone wearing 'Halloween-type' clown masks after spate of reports of terrifying sightings Man, sometimes I wish I was British. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2013, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/norfolk-police-warn-of-alarming-clown-epidemic/675037/2 "2013-11-29T00:53:19Z")
Regular person on the street? Ignore the clown. Internationally-wanted drug kingpin? [RUN AWAY!](http://abcnews.go.com/International/gunman-dressed-clown-kills-mexican-drug-lord/story?id=20625859) ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2013, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/norfolk-police-warn-of-alarming-clown-epidemic/675037/3 "2013-11-29T00:57:50Z")
Shakes, is that you? ---
**Author:** ![Sudden\_Kestrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Sudden\_Kestrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sudden_Kestrel)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2013, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/norfolk-police-warn-of-alarming-clown-epidemic/675037/4 "2013-11-29T01:22:23Z")
Nice of them to offer a warning. If I encountered a clown just wandering around loose, I’d assume nobody else could see it and ignore it diligently. With a heads-up, I’d feel free to run away screaming, which is the only sensible reaction to random clowns. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2013, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/norfolk-police-warn-of-alarming-clown-epidemic/675037/5 "2013-11-29T02:59:52Z")
A clown apocalypse is even more dangerous than a zombie apocalypse. Clowns are faster, they have bigger feet, and they are able to cram themselves into impossibly tight spaces. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2013, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/norfolk-police-warn-of-alarming-clown-epidemic/675037/6 "2013-11-29T05:54:33Z")
I feel I should point out that in Anhk Moorpork they know how to handle mimes. ---
**Author:** ![Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/try2b_comprehensive/32/65_2.png) [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try2B_Comprehensive)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2013, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/norfolk-police-warn-of-alarming-clown-epidemic/675037/7 "2013-11-29T06:55:40Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > A clown apocalypse is even more dangerous than a zombie apocalypse. Certainly worse than a grandmapocalypse. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2013, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/norfolk-police-warn-of-alarming-clown-epidemic/675037/8 "2013-11-29T10:35:58Z")
There was a clown doing stuff like this in Britain somewhere a couple months ago - it popped upon Fortean Times. He would lurk and do stuff like wave at people in cars or busses. I don’t remember him being reported chasing anybody though.