Two dozen Peterborough police officers were on the shopping beat on Wednesday morning for the annual Cop Shop.
The event pairs officers with children for some holiday shopping. Children between the ages of six and 12 were picked by their schools for a shopping excursion at Lansdowne Place Mall.
Const. Leanda LaVasseur started the event 11 years ago as a way for officers to form a bond with the community.
“This is a good way for kids to see that we do fun stuff,” she said.
“We give a little bit back, and the kids get to spend some time with an officer one on one and find out that we’re just people too.”
Children arrived to the mall in a limo and received a $200 gift certificate from the mall to purchase gifts for family and friends.
Wednesday’s event was the first for Const. Scott Rogers who was paired with a girl named Keira.
“We were coming here to give to others, but it’s Keira who taught me — even though the day is all about her, she’s told me that she’s buying for nine people today,” said Rogers.
“So all the money that she has is going to the people she loves, and that’s the whole spirit of Christmas.”
Almost all the officers at the mall Wednesday have volunteered their time to help a child shop.
The children also received a winter coat courtesy of the mall and all the gifts were wrapped before the children returned to school.
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