Knitters wanted to create cuddly toys for children in distress

Dorset Police is calling on knitting enthusiasts to create teddy bears for children in distress.

The cuddly toys dubbed ‘Bobby Buddies’ will be carried in patrol cars and used to comfort young children who are distressed or experiencing a traumatic event.

A Dorset Police spokesman said: “Sadly we regularly attend incidents where children are really having a tough time – it could be a family argument or a loved one going missing.

“We do our best to build relationships with young people at incidents, but something like a teddy bear can be really useful in distracting them from what is going on around them.

“It also shows in this small gesture that so much of the work we do cannot be done without the assistance of our community. Providing the name of the person who knitted the buddy, along with the officer who gifted it, will hopefully show that working together we can make real positive changes.”

For more information and to download the knitting pattern, visit www.dorset.police.uk/Buddies