West Midlands Police is using virtual reality to train new officers in relation to male crimes against women and girls. The force has partnered with training provider Calico on the sessions.
According to a statement, the VR puts officers “in the shoes of a woman travelling through Birmingham after dark.” It subsequently gives them the option of following four different routes through the city, during which they “hear the real voices and lived experiences of community participants.”
Discussing the training, a spokesperson for West Midlands said: “The classes are part of a wider input on crimes such as stalking, harassment, rape and domestic abuse, where officers look at the law, and actions to take when investigating these serious offences.
“Wearing the virtual reality headsets, officers get to experience the incident from the victim’s point of view. This develops empathy, encourages officers to share their experiences and helps them to think of the questions they would ask a victim or suspect.
“West Midlands Police is the first force in the country to work with [Calico] to embed the training, which will be delivered to all new recruits until April 2026. [This equates to a total of] around 700 officers.”
West Mids assistant chief constable, Jen Mattinson, said: “I’m proud to see West Midlands Police leading the way by providing training opportunities like this, in our committed approach to tackling violence against women and girls.
“This session is one of many tools that we are investing in as a force, to protect the communities we serve, and we will continually invest time, money and effort to combat VAWG.
„We already ensure all colleagues complete a variety of training packages to ensure they can robustly tackle VAWG, as well as making sure that recognising and responding to vulnerability is a focus of all of our work.”
Co-founder and director of Calico, Daz Scott, said: “One in two women feel unsafe walking alone after dark in a busy public space and it’s everyone’s social responsibility to address this.
“We believe that rebuilding trust starts with empathy. That’s why we created this training – to help officers understand the everyday realities of gendered violence from the perspective of those most affected.”
Quelle:
https://www.criticalcomms.com/content/news/police-force-s-vr-training-to-combat-vawg
