Officer teddy

A teddy bear in every police car will go a long way to help children in traumatic situations, says the region’s OPP superintendent.

The OPP re-launched its community bear program on Wednesday. Aviva Canada Inc. provided about 1,600 bears that police will put in the trunks of their OPP cruisers. The bears are meant to help children in traumatic situations, such as car collisions, personal injury, domestic violence and abuse.

OPP Supt. Ron van Straalan said the bear helps to create a connection between the officer and the child. During those traumatic situations, the last thing police want is for the child to think that they’re someone to fear, he said.

"Hopefully we can provide some comfort to those children when we arrive with a teddy bear on scene," van Straalan. "Often, children are just looking for comfort in whatever way they can get it. It allows the officer to create a bond with that child to show that we are not the Boogeyman or anything else. The police are here to help."

The OPP has held the Community Bear program for more than 15 years, but it is the first time that Aviva Canada Inc. provided the bears for the police officers.

Carol Fournier, field adjuster with that Aviva Canada Inc., said they often gave out bears when they went to homes for insurance reasons and thought it would be a good idea to provide the OPP with teddy bears.

"Aviva has always been very in tune with the community and I think they felt there was a real need to get involved," Fournier said. "As adjusters, we go out with kits and we’ve had little stuffed animals in them for years. We’re happy to be a part of this and we think this is fantastic.


“This will help children in the community."