'Foam only, officer!': Police halt carpark Nerf game due to safety concerns

A toy foam blaster game held at a public carpark was cut short, drawing police attention after blue and green tents set up for the game blocked parking spaces.

A video of the incident, posted on TikTok by user dartsista on Oct 13, had garnered over 128,000 views and 2,700 likes as of press time.

The 47-second clip shows at least 10 tents set up in a public carpark, with people holding what appear to be Nerf guns near the tents. Such guns typically fire soft projectiles like foam darts.

The original poster explained in the comments that the tents were for players to take cover during the game.

However, the game was interrupted when flashing blue lights signalled the arrival of the police, with two officers advising the group to leave the area.

"We thought it was paintball," one police officer can be heard saying, raising safety concerns over the group's use of the space.

"If there's cars going past, we will always move," the person behind the camera says. "We understand that it's a multi-storey carpark, we don't stop cars from moving."

The group is eventually told to leave the area, with players seen packing up their tents as the video ends.

The accompanying caption reads: "All good though - they just checked on us and made sure everything was safe. Foam only, officer!"

Netizens riled by police intervention

In the comments, some netizens felt that their misuse of the space caused safety hazards, while others supported the activity.

"I'd rather they play this than do unwanted things," one netizen commented.

A number of netizens also said that they saw no issue in their actions: "Due to limited space to play I don't mind also, they're also very nice and apologetic, I'm totally fine with it."

Some poked fun at the rigidity of rules in Singapore, while others questioned who had reported the group.

"How to be national standard, the kids can't do or practice what they need in their housing estate," one netizen commented. "Everything also need to go to dedicated area which needs to be paid. Then if cannot pay how?"

However, a few netizens had a different perspective.

"You say you understand it's a multi-storey carpark but when and if a car really bangs down one member of your party, would you really understand?" one netizen asked.

Another netizen agreed: "By allowing one to do this, others will follow. So when things happen, who's to blame?"

The New Paper has reached out to the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and dartsista for comment.