A member of the public contacted police after being spooked by a person wearing a full clown outfit with a red wig in Gaywood, near King’s Lynn on Tuesday.
Superintendent Carl Edwards said no one had been injured or assaulted, but advised that people ignore the clowns so as not to give them the attention they probably want.
‘Firstly I’d like to stress that it isn’t against the law to dress up as a clown,’ he said.
‘Nobody has been assaulted and it appears that the people involved are waiting for a passerby to be startled by their appearance and run away, and then the clown runs after them for a short distance.
‘We know there has been a lot of gossip and conversations about this on social media channels, not just in Norfolk, and it is important to gain a perspective on these incidents.
‘We appreciate this can worry people, especially the young or elderly. The most effective way to behave if you are to see someone dressed up is to give no reaction – because that’s what they are after.’