Immersive policing: VR that prepares you for the real world

Like many forces, Dyfed-Powys Police are trialling the use of adaptive virtual reality (VR) training simulations to better prepare officers for the complex realities of frontline work. 

James Taylor is an IT & Niche Trainer with Dyfed-Powys Police, bringing over 16 years of experience in education, and a decade working with immersive technologies.

Before joining the force, James spent ten years at Cardiff University as a technical demonstrator, specialising in training postgraduate journalism students and leading research in immersive media.

“I’ve worked on various projects as a consultant and researcher within the University, developing VR, AR and mixed reality experiences,” James explains.

Now, James is at the forefront of integrating adaptive VR simulations into police training, leveraging both technical expertise and a passion for innovative learning to help officers build empathy, resilience and real-world skills.

From situation to simulation

Traditional police training often relies on classroom-based learning and role-play, which, while valuable, can fall short in replicating the emotional and situational complexity of real incidents.

“Exposure to scenarios that can’t be easily replicated in classrooms gives students a little bit more insight into what it’s like being an officer and some of the different environments they’ll have to deal with,” says James.

Born out of a desire to bridge the disconnect between classroom theory and the unpredictability of frontline policing, the VR training project at Dyfed-Powys Police brings technology and training together.

Recognising that many new recruits lacked exposure to high-pressure scenarios, the Learning and Development Services team sought a solution that could simulate these experiences in a safe and scalable way and obtained funding from the National Police Chiefs’ Council to develop a VR programme. 

“We wanted to give trainees a realistic environment to apply their knowledge and test their resilience,” explains James. “Classroom sessions provide the reasoning, but they don’t always allow us to see how officers would respond in the moment.” 

Built for the frontline

Sergeant Rob Gravelle highlights the importance of working closely with subject matter experts and victim support organisations throughout the development process. “Working with teams of experts, internally and externally, was central to ensuring our scenarios were both operationally accurate and emotionally sensitive. 

“We worked closely with advisers from the Mid and West Wales Regional Violence Against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Partnership¹, a multiagency group bringing together senior representatives from across public services and specialist sectors, whose input was invaluable in making sure our approach was trauma-informed and respectful.”

A key innovation of the VR training programme is its use of interactive storytelling, which places trainees at the centre of complex, evolving scenarios. Trainees are placed in branching narratives, interactive storytelling structures, where their choices who to speak to, what questions to ask, how to respond to directly influence the outcome, with a time frame for decisions.

The adaptive VR training simulations are designed to develop a spectrum of essential policing skills, going far beyond technical knowledge. “One of the core aims was to improve situational awareness, empathy and communication skills,” explains James.

By immersing officers in realistic, branching scenarios, the training helps them practice critical decision-making under pressure, learning to adapt their approach as situations evolve. Officers also can explore the consequences of their actions, reflect on their choices and learn in a dynamic way that mirrors the unpredictability of real-life policing.

There’s a growing body of research highlighting the powerful role immersive VR can play in enhancing learning and training outcomes. While many studies support its benefits, a few stood out for their relevance to our work, as James explains:

However, as more forces take up the opportunities VR provide, it is essential to evaluate the effectiveness of VR-based training for developing the skills required for UK policing. In 2022, the College of Policing commissioned a review to the current state of evidence for using VR in police training. It found a lack of empirical evidence on VR training, with anecdotal evidence being more common amongst forces. There were advantages to VR training from an efficacy and cost perspective, where VR training could include elements which would otherwise be unethical, costly or impractical to replicate in training scenarios. There are clear deficits in assessing longitudinal real-world knowledge transfer , and causality has been difficult to isolate from single training interventions, although conducting Random Controlled Trials could support this⁴.

Smart tech, secure training

One of the biggest hurdles the team faced was transitioning from linear 360-degree video experiences to fully interactive, adaptive VR scenarios.

“One of the major challenges was finding a suitable platform that allowed us to develop the interactive elements within the scenario and for it to allow for deployment across the force when ready."

“There were several options available, but we were able to identify one platform, ARuVR, which would allow us to create the learning experience, make it available as off-line and online content to resolve issues around limited network connectivity across division, and recording of data to support the learning and any intervention."

“Moving from a passive viewing experience to one where trainees make decisions that shape the outcome was a huge leap,” explains James. The team had to identify a platform that could support branching narratives, real-time feedback and data capture, all within a tight 12-week delivery window."

When developing the training scenarios, the team placed a strong emphasis on balancing realism with accessibility, ensuring the experience would be both impactful and user-friendly.

“We were keen to make sure that the experience was supportive of officer development but not overly complicated. One of the key considerations was that whilst the technology is now more available and more individuals are familiar with it, there is still a high likelihood that overly complicated user experience, design and scenario could be detrimental to the learning and overall impact."

“We also wanted to make sure that both the officer’s perspective and the victim were represented fairly and in a way that represented some of what both officers and victims may have to deal with.”

Data protection and compliance were prioritised throughout the development and deployment of the VR training project. As James explains, “From the outset, we made sure our data protection team was fully aware of what we were doing.

This careful approach meant that all personal data, including trainee feedback and performance analytics, was handled securely and in line with GDPR and police guidelines. “It was essential that we protected the privacy of everyone involved, especially when dealing with sensitive scenarios like domestic abuse,” James adds.

The team worked closely with IT and compliance specialists to review hardware, software and data flows, ensuring that every stage of the project from scenario filming to feedback collection adhered to best practice in information security and confidentiality.

Despite the compressed timeline and complex development demands, the team successfully built and deployed a pilot that not only met technical requirements but also delivered meaningful learning outcomes for trainees.

Real results, real readiness

Over the past month, Dyfed-Powys Police have tested their immersive VR training programme with a small cohort of new recruits. As an initial look, James tested the confidence and psychological resilience of officers when dealing with domestic abuse, and their ability to apply policing knowledge and critical problem-solving skills to cases on a small number of recruits (n=19). The average level of confidence in handling DA scenarios increased following the VR training sessions and many participants also demonstrated enhanced composure and empathy. Further evaluation of programmes such as these will provide a clearer picture of how effectively policing-led VR initiatives are building confidence and empathy in domestic abuse cases.