The latest batch of knitted trauma bears made by Jane Barnes were posing as members of the police, so were apprehended and taken away by a Detective Inspector at a Soroptimist meeting in Sevenoaks on 8 February.
Jane Barnes from SI Medway and Maidstone had been invited to attend the SI Sevenoaks speaker meeting as she had played an active part in knitting the trauma bears as part of the Soroptimist Centenary Challenge. Jane took along 5 trauma bears she had knitted in police uniforms to donate.
Sevenoaks member, Isobel Groves has been liaising over the past year with Detective Inspector Richard Pringle, West Kent Child Protection Team, Kent Police and Family Liaison Coordinator to arrange the distribution of the trauma bears.
Richard had come to talk about his role with Kent Police. He also explained how his police colleagues have been using the trauma bears with the vulnerable children they support. They were really pleased to have had the supply of trauma bears donated by the Soroptimists. They were particularly useful when interviewing children. These interviews can often take place in quite stark settings. Having the trauma bears available can act as a comfort to the child and a useful communication tool, which they can take with them