Roundup: "Creepy clown" sightings will "not be tolerated" in Australia: police

Police in Australia have warned those thinking of taking part in the "clown purge" - which is terrifying members of the public in the United States - that their behavior will not be tolerated, after sightings began being reported across the country.

The clown craze, in which people dress as clowns and act in a creepy manner to terrorize the public, began last week in the U.S. state of South Carolina and has quickly spread across the United States and into other countries.

There have been reports of some "clowns" brandishing weapons or chasing citizens down the street while one report from the U.S. said clowns were attempting to lure young children into nearby woods.

Police in Australia admitted they had been getting reports of similar incidents involving clowns, and said the behavior would not be tolerated, particularly if they are found to be intimidating members of the public - especially children.

"The clown purge appears to be a copycat of incidents being seen in the USA recently," a police statement posted to The Guardian said overnight.

"Any intimidating and threatening as well as anti-social behaviors will not be tolerated and will be investigated by police.

"Please contact your local police station if you have any concerns."

Senior Sergeant Phil Nash from the Craigieburn Police in Victoria said while those who choose to dress up as clowns were displaying immaturity, it was not illegal to simply dress as a clown.

He said it was important for members of the public to not take law enforcement into their own hands, as some members of the public had vowed to track down and attack anyone terrorizing citizens while dressed as a clown.

"A worrying concern is people saying they will go and attack them," Nash told News Corp.

"In some ways, the over-reaction and cowardly threats via (social media) in relation to this is more worrying for police."

Clown sightings have also began popping up across the other side of the country in Perth; one local described their encounter as scary, and warned other parents to "not take (kids) out this weekend" in order to avoid being terrorized.

"I was at Mandurah performing arts tonight watching my friend in Footloose the musical when three people dressed as clowns were walking along the foreshore," the person posted to social media.

"They scared a lot of young kids and families as well as adults and teens!"

Meanwhile, numerous other "clown purge" social media pages have begun to surface across the Internet in Australian, including in Sydney, Perth and Adelaide, with many warning the sightings would increase over the next week.

"We ain't clownin' around, we will see who will be having the last laugh," one pro-clown post on Facebook said.

"Expect us in your streets." Endit