POLICE have launched a teddy bear hunt aimed at keeping people safe over Christmas.

A total of 115 of the toys have been hidden in shop and cafe windows across Durham city centre, all wearing coloured sashes relating to a safety message.

Red is for “Say ‘no’ to strangers”, yellow means “Keep it hidden, keep it safe”, blue is for “Light Up on Winter Nights” and green means “Keep Durham City Tidy”.

This year, the bears are in costume to help them ‘hide’ in the shops and cafes.

PC Ralph Thompson, from Durham City’s neighbourhood policing team, said: “The idea is that people, particularly children, will get involved to hunt for the Safe City Bears and every time they find one they will be reminded of the safety message that particular bear is representing.

“It’s a great way to keep the kids busy over the festive period as well as educating them with the key safety messages.

“It’s free to enter and the person who finds the most bears will get a gift voucher for the store of their choice.”

The hunt begins today (Friday, December 13) and runs until January 10, with the winner and two runners-up, who will also win prizes, announced on January 16.

Entry forms are available at participating stores and should be returned to one of the many Safe City Bear Hunt post boxes across the city centre.

For clues on the bears’ hiding places, go to twitter.com/safecitybear