Durham Police to Hand Out Sweets

Durham students are used to putting a lot of things into their mouths after a night out and now, thanks to a local policed-based initiative, boiled sweets could be added to that list.

Following numerous complaints of rowdy student disturbing the peace after a night on the lash, the Old Bill have devised a scheme to hand out sweets to students to encourage them to be quiet.

The pleasure patrol have amassed a supply of 10,000 fruit-flavored sweets, paid for by a number of organizations including Durham University, the Durham City Council, and Teikyo University of Japan. The scheme is part of the Safe City campaign and the sweets will feature messages such as ‘Shush’ or ‘Quiet Please’.

One student commented, “it’s a shame such initiatives weren’t conceived before the UK riots in August, it would have saved a lot of damage. Maybe ‘millions’?”

Inspector Paul Anderson reportedly claimed that Durham was a pioneer for the initiative. “We think Durham is the first to include a message aimed at those who might otherwise make a racket.” It seems Durham’s success in the university rankings is finally paying some dividends, with the purple brigade getting ahead of bitter rivals Oxford and Cambridge to land the lucrative confectionary supply.

Durham isn’t the first place sweets and lollipops have been handed out at the end of the night. The South London district of East Croydon is allegedly the first place the scheme was trialed but it was forced to close prematurely, after demand for the sweets became unmanageable.

Anderson lauded the scheme as another point of contact between the police and population. “It also provides another way for officers to engage with students and other revelers when they are out of town.” Other schemes considered included making balloon animals, impressions and magic tricks.

University liaison officers Phil Raine and Paul Coburn will be carrying out the scheme with the support of the local neighborhood policing team. Reports that local ambulances will be using scientifically-modified Curly Wurlys as stretchers are unconfirmed.

For more information, such as what flavours are being considered, contact Phil Raine at: [email protected].