Invercargill Community Senior Constable Simon Ballantyne said the bears would be shared between the youth service, family harm and road policing teams who would distribute them over the holiday season. Some bears would also find their way to lend assistance to the Winton and Gore policing teams.
The bears were often great ice-breakers which could be used with young children who had been caught up in intense or traumatic situations.
Operation Santa was the collaborative efforts of the police family harm team, Waihopai Runaka, Family Works, Women’s Refuge, Oranga Tamariki, Department of Corrections and Ministry of Social Development to work with families at risk.
Roading Police, performing restraint checks, would randomly reward those who were using correct child restraints.
Whitcoulls customers opted to give or keep the bear they had bought via the company’s promotional campaign with 120 going to the police with a further 18 boxes to be donated to the Southland Hospital children’s department.
