The objective was to assess the effectiveness of psychosocial interventions in preventing gang membership and gang-related crime among children and young adults under the age of 30. We performed a systematic review and synthesized interventions targeting universal, selective, and indicated populations published between January 2000 and April 2023. We included 42 (seven randomized, 12 nonrandomized, 23 controlled interrupted time series) studies evaluating 33 unique psychosocial interventions. Synthesis without meta-analysis found a preventive effect of psychosocial interventions in middle schools on gang membership. Furthermore, meta-analysis found that focused deterrence strategies prevented gang-involved violence, and that psychosocial support during probation decreased crime recidivism. This systematic review found significant effects of four psychosocial interventions compared to control in reducing future criminality, especially gun violence, among children and young adults. The findings are discussed regarding policy implications and ethical considerations.

This study evaluates the process of implementation and the impact of a focused deterrence-based strategy on group member-involved gun violence in Malmö, Sweden. This is the first attempt to implement and evaluate a focused deterrence-based strategy to combat gun violence in a Swedish as well as a Nordic setting. The study presents an overview of the entire project, aiming to describe both the implementation and its impact, while also identifying specific areas for further investigation in more specialised studies. The planning of what would later be called Ceasefire Malmö began in 2017 after an upsurge of gun violence that peaked in 2016–2017. We followed the process of planning and implementation until December 2022. The process evaluation finds that it was possible to implement the strategy in a Swedish setting, but also identifies challenges that need to be addressed in future implementations. The results further show that, in line with much of previous, mainly American, implementation studies, gun violence decreased following implementation. Results from this evaluation are, however, not fully conclusive and should be interpreted with some care. The evidence base for interventions to counteract group-related violence is limited and without more knowledge authorities risk implementing strategies with no proven effect, risking lives and wasting resources. As such, this evaluation makes a valuable contribution to policy makers, providing them with guidance on how to implement focused deterrence-based strategies in a European context and the effect of such strategies.

Introduction: Digital tools like driving simulators and virtual reality (VR) offer new opportunities for police training, providing controlled environments for skill development. However, traditional training methods and concerns like simulator sickness (SS) pose challenges to their integration.

Methods: A quasi-experimental study examined Swedish police students’ performance in low-speed maneuvering, comparing three groups: simulator-only, real-vehicle-only, and a mixed approach. Interviews with police educators and students explored perceptions of digital training tools. Additionally, a study on SS analyzed how gender, age, and driving environments affected discomfort among 363 police trainees. Currently, we are studying VR’s role in training for electrically conductive weapons (ECWs), assessing its impact on officers’ decision-making and skill acquisition through cognitive and physiological responses.

Results: The driving simulator study found no significant differences in maneuvering performance across the three training groups, suggesting that simulators can be effective alternatives to traditional methods. Educator and student interviews revealed initial resistance to digital tools but acknowledged their potential for structured training. Regarding SS, women and older participants reported higher discomfort, particularly in rural driving scenarios. Prior gaming experience appeared to mitigate SS symptoms but was not a significant predictor. Our ongoing VR study on ECW training aims to determine how immersive simulations influence learning and decision-making.

Conclusions: Digital training methods can enhance police education, offering scalable and efficient alternatives. However, resistance to change and physiological barriers like SS must be addressed. Driving simulators have shown promise, and ongoing VR research will further inform best practices. Future efforts should focus on optimizing these technologies to improve accessibility, realism, and learning outcomes in police training.

In Sweden, basic police education is offered at five universities, enrolling approximately 2,000 students annually. Given the extensive resources needed for practical training, these institutions must find innovative ways to effectively prepare students. Police education has strong traditions, emphasizing hands-on training and relying heavily on experience and scientific knowledge. However, as law enforcement becomes more complex, demand for advanced training increases. Despite the potential benefits of digital technology, its integration into police training, particularly through driving simulators, has faced resistance owing to traditional teaching methods. This study, involving interviews with seven teachers and six students, explored the challenges and benefits of implementing driving simulators in police education. Findings, analyzed through the lens of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK), indicate initial reluctance due to entrenched views, but highlight simulators as valuable tools for teaching core principles, improving decision-making, and offering scalable practical learning opportunities.

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur virtual reality (VR) kan fungera som ett pedagogiskt komplement i utbildning i elchockvapen (ECV) inom svensk polisutbildning, med särskilt fokus på resurseffektivitet, möjligheter till mängdträning samt användarnas upplevelser av tekniken. Studien genomfördes inom ramen för Polisprogrammet vid Malmö universitet i samverkan med Polismyndigheten.

Bakgrunden till studien är dels Polismyndighetens ökande utbildningsbehov i takt med en växande poliskår, dels de begränsningar som traditionell, fysisk scenariobaserad utbildning innebär vad gäller kostnader, tillgång till utrustning och antal möjliga övningstillfällen. Utbildning i elchockvapen är ett tydligt exempel på ett moment där mängdträning är önskvärd, men där skarp träning är kostsam och svår att genomföra i större omfattning. Mot denna bakgrund prövas VR som ett möjligt komplement till ordinarie utbildningsmoment.

Studien har en bred utvärderande ansats och omfattar tre delstudier med olika användargrupper: polislärare, polisstudenter och yrkesverksamma poliser. Datainsamlingen har genomförts med en kombination av kvalitativa och kvantitativa metoder, inklusive intervjuer, observationer, enkäter, mätning av simulatorsjuka samt analys av resultat från praktisk examination. Utvärderingen har analyserats med stöd av Kirkpatricks modell för utbildningsutvärdering samt ramverket Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK).

Resultaten visar att VR uppfattas som ett värdefullt pedagogiskt komplement snarare än en ersättning för traditionell utbildning. Lärare rapporterade en initial skepsis inför tekniken som i stor utsträckning omvandlades till en positiv inställning efter genomförd utbildning, särskilt med hänvisning till möjligheten till ökad mängdträning och tydlig återkoppling. Studenter som genomgått VR-baserad träning uppnådde jämförbara resultat vid praktisk examination som studenter som följt ordinarie utbildningsupplägg, med vissa indikationer på förbättrad vapenkontroll. Förekomsten av simulatorsjuka var låg och symtomen generellt lindriga.

Studien identifierar samtidigt viktiga utmaningar, bland annat behovet av tekniskt stöd, anpassning av utrustning samt vikten av att VR-scenarier utformas på ett sätt som tydligt integrerar taktiska och juridiska överväganden. Sammantaget visar resultaten att VR har potential att stärka utbildningen i elchockvapen genom ökad tillgänglighet och mängdträning, förutsatt att tekniken integreras med tydligt pedagogiskt syfte och med respekt för utbildningens kontext och krav.

Simulator sickness (SS) poses significant challenges in the widespread adoption of driving simulators for traffic research, training, and other applications. This study investigates the effects of gender, age, driving environment, and gaming experience on SS in a desktop driving simulator, using a sample of 363 Swedish police trainees. Participants completed the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ) after simulator sessions involving either city traffic or country road scenarios. Results revealed that females experienced significantly higher SS emerging as the most influential predictor in a multiple regression model. Age also positively correlated with SS, with older participants reporting more severe symptoms. Rural driving scenarios induced higher SS than city traffic. Although prior gaming experience reduced SS symptoms in univariate analyses, it was not a significant predictor in the regression model. These findings emphasize the need for personalized simulator design and tailored scenario optimization to reduce simulator sickness, promoting an inclusive and accessible educational experience. This aligns with broader goals of equity and excellence in professional training programs. Future research should expand these findings by exploring a broader age range and different simulator types.