Durham Police Hand Out Sweets To Students To Silence Late-Night Noise

Candy Cops: Police Use Sweets To Silence Students

Durham police are handing out sweets to students in order to silence late-night noise, which included messages inscribed on them such as "Shush" and "Quiet please".

The novelty idea was tried after complaints from locals about students creating too much noise after dark, a local paper reported.

Handing out late-night food to students is certainly not a new idea; students in Cardiff can get hold of toast, crisps and hot chocolate after coming out of the Student Union, while Worcester students are treated to Weetabix and tea, courtesy of various Christian charities.

But Inspector Paul Anderson of Durham Police said: "We think Durham is the first to include messages [in sweets] aimed at those who might otherwise make a racket.

"Late night noise is a genuine issue for a number of our residents and we hope that this initiative will make a difference. It also provides another way for our officers to engage with students and other revellers", he added.

The 10,000 sweets will be handed out in any instances where officers feel there is a possibility the students may be about to make a racket, which would be amplified by the city's large, old buildings.

Funding for the fruit-flavoured sweets was provided by Durham County Council, the local Pub Watch scheme, Durham University and the city's campus of Teikyo University, which educates Japanese students.

The scheme is part of "Safe City", which was launched in October and aims to make Durham the safest city in the UK.

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