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'Assassins' patrol London's streets with water guns in role-playing game

LONDON (AFP) - Londoners have begun a city-wide role-playing game where people roam the capital to shoot each other with water pistols as police warned that contestants might be committing criminal offences.

"StreetWars" has already taken place in New York, Vancouver, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Vienna, and on their website, tournament organisers describe it as: "A three week long, 24/7, watergun assassination tournament."

As part of the game, participants are handed a manila envelope containing the details of their "target", including their name, home and work addresses, along with a picture, and are assigned with the task of "assassinating" them with a watergun.

Upon being "killed", the person who has just been eliminated from the game hands details of their target to the successful "assassin".

The last person left standing after three weeks is declared the winner, and is given a cash prize which is usually around 500 dollars (395 euros), according to the tournament website.

Players are encouraged to track down their target in any way they see fit, with suggestions including posing as a delivery person, or putting on a disguise to fire on the target on the street.

London's Metropolitan Police and the British Transport Police both issued stark warnings to participants before the start of the game, with the BTP calling those taking part "irresponsible".

A spokesman for London's Metropolitan Police said on Tuesday: "Some water pistols, like replica firearms, can look very real and if a member of the public spots someone acting suspiciously ... a seemingly innocent bit of fun can escalate with armed officers responding.

"In addition, actions like this can result in a waste of police time and divert essential operational police resources away from real life situations."

The BTP, meanwhile, said it was advising all water pistol-armed contestants not to board the London Underground trains or local overground rail services, and told them they should consider that it may appear as though they were committing criminal offences.

"The transport system is not the place for this sort of activity," said Superintendent Bob Pacey.

Drawing attention to the terrorist suicide bombings on London's transport network in July 2005, the BTP warned that the sight of people carrying water pistols that looked like real guns could cause "geniune fear".

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060725...t_060725113715