The teddy bears supporting children in traumatic incidents

The bright orange bears are used to calm children in stressful situations

Panda cars used by Derbyshire Police to respond to incidents have been kitted out with teddy bears.

Hundreds of Trauma Teds have been now deployed across the county alongside frontline officers.

The bright orange soft toys will be used to support children who are found at the scene of traumatic incidents.

The bears have previously been used successfully across Derbyshire hospitals' accident and emergency departments.

Now they are going out on the road to help calm or distract children at stressful situations such as crashes and domestic incidents.

Neil Tomlinson, coordinator of Teddies for Loving Care (TLC) Derbyshire, said: "When we were contacted by the Derbyshire force, we were pleased to be able to support the police as well.

"Sadly, we know that our emergency services personnel often come into contact with children who have either witnessed or been involved in a traumatic incident.

A donation of hundreds of bears has been made to the force

"We also know from experience that our bears can and do make a positive difference and I have every confidence that they will make a positive difference to those who come into contact with the police."

Derbyshire Chief Constable Rachel Swann said: "I am delighted to be able to accept this kind donation and would like to thank TLC for their support and generosity.

"Our officers are already well-prepared for dealing with all kinds of traumatic incidents, but when it involves a child, having the opportunity to give them a teddy bear that they can keep, can make a huge difference by providing reassurance at a really difficult time.

"In the event that a child needs to receive one of these teddies from a police officer, we hope that they comfort children in Derbyshire, and leave them with a more positive experience."

TLC, which is funded by freemasons, operates 47 regional programmes across England and Wales.