Abstract:

In addition to the cost savings, technology such as e-learning, hybrid learning and simulations are tools that are used to equip police with the needed competencies and skills by the police force to protect the public and respond to the changing demographics. That is, the future of police training will be geared towards developing competencies to support existing training for police and the recruitment process that relies on technology and integrated crisis management systems. Simulations, robotics and real-life situations are vital in preparing the first responders and decision makers with the skills and competencies needed to respond effectively to a crisis. The successful design of training strategies will provide police with tactics that will enable the police force to offer the training in a suitable delivery medium.

In crisis management, human behavior constitutes a vital aspect in responding to the crisis; the speed and efficiency of the response often get affected by the difficulty of the context of the operation. Therefore, training in this area plays a major role in preparing the crisis manager to manage the emotional aspects that lead to the decision making in these critical situations. Thus, the training needs to address the multiple contexts in which the crisis happens in and has to take into the account interdependency between different life-threatening infrastructures (Dastbaz & Cesta, 2011). Because it is important to gain high-level strategic choices and besides the ability to apply crisis management procedures, simulation exercises become central in training the crisis managers in gaining the needed skills to respond critically to these events. The training will enhance the responders’ ability to efficiently and quickly make decisions and anticipate possible consequences of their actions through flexible and revolutionary reasoning in responding to the crisis.

In this paper, we explore the use of simulations and virtual environments in police training, investigate examples of integrated simulation architectures and list how the various learning theories apply to police training.

Keywords:

Virtual, Simulation, Police, Learning Theories, Public Safety, Crisis Management.