A study conducted by the Rotterdam police revealed that hardened criminals are pacified upon exposure to the scent of oranges.

An experiment, conducted for four weeks, revealed that felons became less aggressive, and more obedient when the scent of the citrus fruit was pumped into their prison cells.

According to ANI, the discovery was of significance to law enforcers, considering that Rotterdam is known as the place with the highest crime rate in the entire area of the Netherlands.

"It's amazing," said Herma Hesteer, the head of the police social services. "Fighting in the cells has been dramatically reduced."

Hesteer noted that the drop in the aggression levels of even the hardened criminals was evident despite a ten percent decrease in the total number of sedatives used.

The Telegraph reported that the scent even succeeded in pacifying drug pushers, which were identified as the most violent of all criminals in Rotterdam, making up more than half of the total number of arrests.