Teddy bear gives crime victims love

A group of elderly residents from the Silver Stream Village in Malanshof donated about 80 teddy bears and blankets to the Linden Victim Support Unit on 16 November.
The items were donated after a pep talk at the village to help elderly residents understand the procedure which is followed after a crime has been committed.

Victim Support Unit attends to trauma 
Bev Boswell, who co-ordinates the unit, said it was of paramount importance for elders to understand the protocol which is followed at the crime scene.
“After the crime incident, most of the victims are left traumatised, so we help them get through that experience,” Boswell said.
This unit assists with contacting family members of the victims, calling ambulances if there are injuries and ultimately counselling the victims to survive through the trauma.

Boswell said they would give some of the teddy bears to orphanages and to other victims of crimes.
“These ladies knit these items with love and we will keep them in our room at the station so that we can give them to our victims,” she said.
Karen McCallum, the founder of the knitting group at the village, said she started the unit to give elders a task that would keep them busy and integrating with other residents in the village.

Domestic Watch addresses trauma 

“Some of the residents here were lonely and never talked to anybody. Some would lock themselves inside their rooms,” McCallum said.
She explained that since the knitting group was established, some of the residents have enjoyed mixing with others.
“We knit from the donated wool to keep ourselves busy,” she said.
Boswell concluded that they rely extensively on sponsorship and appealed to local businesses to get involved. “Our unit depends massively on community support,” Boswell concluded.
Details: Linden Victim Support Unit 073 447 4451.