The impact of a preparation phase on the development of practical knowledge in police education: a comparison of two conditions for preparing a practical scenario training

Abstract

This article examines how a virtual case that prepares students for practical scenario training affects police students' performance in a practical scenario training. This study included 69 Swedish police students at the Basic Training Programme for Police Officers -35 assigned to a virtual police case (VCASE) and 34 assigned to a conventional teacher-led (CON) lesson. A questionnaire captured how students experience training conditions and a blind assessment by police officers evaluated the students' performance in the practical scenario training. The results show that both the VCASE and CON participants thought that the training they received before the practical training was meaningful and motivating. However, to a significantly higher degree than the CON students, the VCASE students thought that their preparation helped them during the practical training. The expert assessment of one practical scenario (stopping a suspected stolen car) showed that the VCASE participants performed better than the CON participants in three out of five criteria. In conclusion, the VCASE and the CON training had different effects on the students' performance in the practical scenario: compared to the CON training, the VCASE training seemed to more effectively help the police students solve the situations presented in the practical scenario training.

Simulation Exercises in Police Education, Why and How? A Teacher's Perspective

“…Bennell and Jones (2004) reported on the effectiveness of use-of-force simulations in Canadian policing, and Davies (2017) used a teaching intervention for police recruits aimed at developing use-of-force decision-making skills in a case study that involved participation in a simulation exercise using a shooting simulator to assess use-of-force. Söderström et al, (2022) looked at how the use of virtual police cases to prepare students for simulation exercises affected the outcome of the exercises. Werth (2011) focused on how scenario training affected the development of police students' higher-stage' thinking skills.…”

“…Simulation exercises are a central part of Swedish police education (Söderström et al, 2022), and are used both in the teaching of specific subjects, such as weapons and tactics, restraint techniques, conflict management and criminal investigation, as well as in larger-scale exercises that often involve several different subjects and last longer than a lesson (Sjöberg et al, 2019). In this paper, the term "simulation exercise" includes both the nature of the event, i.e., simulation (representation) of a relevant part of the professional practice, and its purpose, i.e., to practice and/or learn something new.…”

Practical subjects in the vocational curriculum: A critical review of the literature

“…Procedural knowledge, or the knowledge of how to do something, is commonly associated with practical subjects and with practical training more generally (Sappa et al, 2016). Nine studies (14%) foregrounded procedural knowledge in fields such as ambulance and rescue services (Andersson, 2016), policing (Söderström et al, 2020) and firefighting (Holmgren et al, 2019). These are fields that place a strong focus on protocols.…”