Rockstar: GTA 5 police are not racist

GTA V developer Rockstar has been forced to come out and defend Los Santos's police force against claims of racial discrimination from gamers.

The world has been absorbed by the free-roaming game over the past week, which has broken sales records and been critically-acclaimed for its immersive gaming experience and realism.

Some players have been irked by what they see as racial profiling by the in-game police however, purportedly experienced when playing as the game's only black protagonist, Franklin.

‘Walked up to a cop as Franklin, cop dropped his coffee and said 'back the f*** up”. Then shot me in the face. For no reason. #Racist #GTAV' one gamer wrote on Twitter, with another adding: ‘Anytime I'm franklin, I get chased by cops for 'a disturbance.” this never happens with Michael or Trevor. The gta cops are racist' (sic).

The Grand Theft Auto series is known for its satire and social commentary, but Rockstar insists the in-game police do not have a proclivity towards arresting black people.

The developer told Buzzfeed: ‘This is absolutely false, the in-game police don't treat one lead character any differently from the others.'

More likely, players choosing to commit crimes in broad daylight with assorted weapons might be the reason for excessive police attention, something that can be remedied with this painfully obvious but useful GTA tip that surfaced earlier in the week.