Buddy Bags given to children by Devon and Cornwall Police

Devon and Cornwall Police are to give comfort bags to children going into emergency care.

The force has partnered with the Buddy Bag Foundation, which creates backpacks filled with essential and comforting items such as pyjamas and teddy bears.

The charity has given age-specific backpacks to the force for free in what police said was a national first.

Sgt Wes Watkins said the bags would help "restore a sense of safety" to children during a traumatic time.

He said: "When we need to apply police protection powers to prevent serious harm, these bags will make a real difference.

"Police are often the first to attend traumatic incidents and the bags can help restore a sense of safety and security that will be remembered long after the incident has passed."

The Buddy Bag Foundation, founded in 2015, creates backpacks filled with essential items for children in emergency situations, including toiletries and pyjamas, and comfort items such as a book and teddy bear.

The bags are available from custody centres in Barnstaple, Exeter, Torquay, Plymouth, Newquay, and Camborne, to all officers to offer children when they are being given emergency accommodation.

Bags are also available to support young people during major incidents in the region.

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