BBC News Online: UK

Child's play to calm down clubbers

Clubbers leaving late-night bars in Leicester will be treated to tunes from productions such as The Magic Roundabout, Mr Benn and The Wizard of Oz as doormen hand out different-flavoured lollipops.

The idea was proposed by Leicestershire Constabulary's city centre violence and disorder team after Home Office figures confirmed that the city was the most violent in the UK outside of London.

Inspector Daimon Tilley, policing commander, said: "I got the idea from an American professor of psychology I met on a course.

"His argument was that if such music was played as people leave a club, instead of a thumping beat, those people are reminded of their childhood and will not want to seek a confrontation."

He added: "I have absolutely no idea whether it will work or not. It is clearly a funny idea but it demonstrates just how creative we are going to be in exploring all opportunities to prevent violence in our city."

If the four-week trial is a success, it may be introduced city-wide and possibly by other forces across the UK.

Wesley Osborne, general manager of Zanzibar, said: "It's a great idea. We have got to try anything that puts people in a happy frame of mind."

The idea of distributing lollipops at the end of a night out is not new.

The same initiative was successfully implemented late last year at a nightclub in Bideford, Devon, to reduce noise being caused by drunken clubbers roaming the streets after closing time.

Complaints of rowdiness were dramatically reduced outside the University of London's student union when the same ploy was used.