Gwent Police were looking for a more interactive and engaging way to train new and current staff taking over from the current use of passive video. Enter the COPS.
This new development product, Computer Operated Police Simulator (C.O.P.S), will be used to augment technical and non-technical skills for the UK Police. This project will build and trial a virtual learning platform delivering training in a CAVE (Computer Assisted Virtual Environment). Users will be dropped into various scenarios and allowed to choose different paths as a way to address incidents as they occur in the simulation.A combination of fixed and random scenarios will be created to deliver specific learning objectives. Simulation has been demonstrated to develop situational awareness and decision making with increased knowledge retention, enabling behavioural change. Simulations in this project will combine the use of CAVEs and Virtual Reality headsets to ensure that users become fully immersed whilst undertaking specific activities.The prototype platform will be piloted with Gwent Police, combining the company’s expertise in creating engaging 3D virtual learning tools with Gwent’s knowledge of the learning required for its force. The project was extended as part of VocTech Now to include additional content to train people to use appropriate PPE for different situations.