Canadian police calm drunken revelers with free lollipops

You could call them the "lollicops." To pacify drunken revelers who spill out of bars and nightclubs in the capital city of British Columbia, Victoria, a local city councilor is hoping to arm police officers with a cache of lollipops - a pre-emptive measure to prevent brawls from escalating.

The proposal stems from a test run she conducted on Canada Day, July 1, a happy but booze-fueled national holiday.

Following the fireworks display which drew 30,000 people to the downtown core, Charlayne Thornton-Joe took to the streets with local police officers and distributed suckers targeting mostly loud, aggressive men, reports national newspaper The Globe and Mail this week.

Once the men popped the lollipops in their mouths, it was like an instant pacifier, the councilor said.

Typically Canadian response to peace keeping? Not entirely.

It's a strategy taken from the playbook of police in the UK, who also use the 'sucker punch' tactic to placate aggressive, drunken men at the end of a night out.

Like giving candy to a grumpy baby, lollipops are said to have similar effects on grown men. Moreover, arguments fueled by drunken bravado and macho attitudes often escalate following verbal exchanges. But stick a lollipop in his mouth, and it becomes a lot harder to shout.

To read more of the story, visit http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/bc-politics/keeping-the-peace-with-the-bar-strip-lollipop/article2102919/.

To take the tactic to a more literal level, check out pacifier candies, popular for baby showers. Oriental Trading out of Nebraska, for instance, sells pacifier candy rings at $6 for a dozen.