Police advise producer of Purge Prank video not to alarm the public

Police have issued an advisory on a YouTube video titled "The Purge Prank", which has been circulating online. The video by MerlionTV is inspired by 2013 horror film The Purge. Echoing the movie's plot, a voice-over states that "all crimes are legal for 12 hours". It then shows a masked man surprising several members of the public and brandishing a long knife in places such as a bus stop, construction site, shopping area, and a void deck.
 
The description of the video reads: "Halloween is around the corner, and the MerlionTV crew decided to do a similar Purge movie scene in one of the safest country in the world - SINGAPORE!"

In a Facebook post on Tuesday (Oct 28), the police noted that several reports have been lodged against the YouTube video. Police urged the public not to participate in such activities, and said they have advised the video's producer on the possible consequences of pranks like these, "which may generate unnecessary alarm, fear and panic in the community".

The video has chalked up more than 160,000 views since it was uploaded on Oct 20.