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.

Police research is a matter of concern not only for academia and the police, but also for politics, policymakers, the public and society in general. Research on Swedish police and policing has been conducted for more than six decades, and several reviews of Swedish police research have been performed in the past. However, none have focussed exclusively on empirical research, and the scope and character of empirical studies has long been unclear. To contribute to fill this knowledge gap, and to facilitate an informed discussion on the current state of empirical evidence, gaps and future research agendas, we have conducted a scoping review of published research and grey literature reporting original results of empirical studies on Swedish police. Departing from the overarching research question What is the scope and character of empirical studies on Swedish police published between 2010 and 2024, and what changes can be discerned over time? we have examined empirical studies on Swedish police with a special focus on extent, topics of interest, broader research themes, methods, research actors and types of publications. The literature was located by systematic searches in bibliographic databases, targeted hand searches and requests to academic research environments. Utilising the software Covidence, selection of sources was conducted in two steps and a data extraction template was used to chart and extract the data. By paying close attention to specific research topics in the included studies, ten main themes emerged: Police organisation and profession; Collaboration; The police and the public; Maintenance of law and order; Criminal offences; Critical incidents and crisis management; Victims and witnesses; Social categories and the police; Environment and place; and Knowledge development. In this presentation we will give an overview of the scoping review results, and open for discussion on its potential application.

Introduction:

Research on Swedish police and policing has been conducted for more than six decades, and several reviews of Swedish police research have been carried out in the past. However, none have focused exclusively on empirical studies, and the scope and character of such studies has long been unclear. To contribute to fill this knowledge gap, and to facilitate an informed discussion on the current state of empirical evidence, gaps and future research agendas, we are currently conducting a scoping review of published researchand grey literature reporting original results of empirical studies on Swedish police. Departing from the question What is the scope and character of empirical studies onSwedish police published between 2010 and 2024, and what changes can be discerned overtime? we examine empirical studies on Swedish police with a special focus on extent, topics of interest, broader research themes, methods, research actors and types of publications.

Methods:

The literature is located by systematic searches in bibliographic databases, targeted hand searches and requests to academic research environments. Studies considered for inclusion are assessed in relation to pre-defined selection criteria by two reviewers independently. A data extraction template is used to chart and extract data for further analysis.

Results:

Analysis is in progress. Ten (preliminary) main themes have crystallized out of the specific topics of interest in the included studies: Police organization and profession; Collaboration; The police and the public; Maintenance of law and order; Criminal offences; Critical incidents and crisis management; Victims and witnesses; Social categories; Environment and place; and Knowledge/tool development.

Conclusions:

Our final results will provide a well-grounded overview of empirical studieson the Swedish police research field during the last 15 years. By this, the scoping review opens for discussion on what conclusions that can be drawn about the knowledge base - and what knowledge gaps that remain.

This study examines police students experience of using Virtual Reality (VR) as a tool for training situational awareness during apartment search operations. The study included both a qualitative and quantitative approach to evaluate a prototype aimed to supplement traditional training. The findings highlight that control device and visual display interference significantly affect task performance and concentration. While stress increased task completion times, it did not reduce accuracy, demonstrating the value of VR in simulating high-pressure environments. VR offers a flexible, scalable, and cost-effective alternative to traditional training methods. However, optimizing control mechanisms and visual fidelity remains essential. Future research should explore advanced features like eye-tracking to further enhance the training experience. These findings contribute to the growing body of research on VR’s role in police and vocational training.

Introduction: The Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT), also known as TacticalVehicle Intervention (TVI), is a method used by the police to stop fleeing vehicles byconducting a precise, controlled collision, pushing the rear of the fleeing vehicle, inducing aspin that the vehicle is unable to recover from, effectively and safely terminating a policepursuit. Today, PIT training requires a controlled environment that balances realism withsafety, making it a very resource heavy part of education. Driving simulators could be apotentially promising complement to practical training.

Methods: The aim of this study is to evaluate the validity of a driving simulator for PITeducation by analyzing vehicle trajectory data from two sources: (1) drone footage of real-life PIT maneuvers conducted by trained instructors, police education driving instructors andacademic staff in a controlled environment and (2) data gathered from driving simulators,with the same police education driving instructors and academic staff conducting PITmaneuvers in a simulated environment. Real life PIT maneuvers were performed undercontrolled circumstances at a repurposed airfield closed to the public. Drone footage wasstabilized, three-dimensionally calibrated in relation to local world coordinates, andtrajectories were then manually created using T-Analyst. With trajectory analysis, wecompare speed variation, impact velocity, rotational speed, positioning, and post-impact yawrate between the simulated and real-life maneuvers to assess the simulator’s ability toreplicate the maneuver.

Conclusions: This research will show key differences and similarities in simulated contrareal-life controlled PIT maneuvers, and how well a driving simulator can replicate theprecise dynamics of the maneuver. Potentially improving training accessibility, reducingrisk, and enhancing officer proficiency in conducting this precise maneuver.

This study aims to explore police students’ self-rated mental health and physical activity levels and the relationship between them. Based on longitudinal and cross-sectional data (N = 722), two scales on mental health orientation were developed. The scales and levels of physical activity were analyzed using t-test, ANOVA, and X2. During police education, (1) the level of physical activity decreases for men, (2) there is a decline in positive health orientation for both sexes, and (3) women report a more negative health orientation. This raises questions regarding whether “enough” is done to provide police students with sufficient conditions for improving their health.

Introduction: In Sweden, police education should promote students’ physical activity and mental health. According to national goals, police students should be provided with sufficient conditions to develop and maintain advantageous exercise habits and tools to handle various mentally and physically demanding tasks. The national goals also state that students’ physical fitness must be better at graduation than what the requirements are for admission (see Krugly et al., 2022). Although the improvement of students’ physical fitness and mental health are national goals, there is a general lack of knowledge regarding: 1) police students physical and mental health, especially from a Swedish perspective; and 2) how well police education promotes students’ level of physical activity during education. Against this background, the aim is to explore police students’ mental health and level of physical activity during police education in Sweden.

Methods: The data derives from the largest project in Sweden on police students’ physical and mental health, and consists of longitudinal data on police students answers of a self-rated questionnaire about exercise habits and mental health (N = 785). The data used in this study was gathered between 2019–2021, and consisted of four data collection points, from two police educations in Sweden. The analysis was conducted in two steps. First, exploratory- and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to create scales for mental health orientation. Second, these scales, together with the variable exercise habits, were used as outcome variables in t-tests, X2 test and ANOVA. Effect size measurements were calculated and interpreted based on established guidelines.

Results: The results show high psychometric support for two scales named positive health orientation and negative health orientation. Based on the scales and the variable of exercise habits, three primarily results emerge: 1) the levels of physical training for men decrease during education; 2) there are gender differences showing that women have a more negative health orientation; and, 3) the positive mental health orientation decreases during education for both men and women.

Discussion: Swedish police education should prepare students for physically and mentally demanding work. However, as this study concludes, this tends to not be the case, especially given that both the level of physical activity and the positive mental health orientation decrease during education. This raises questions on whether the Swedish police education is doing “enough” to provide the students with adequate conditions for improving their mental and physical health.

Krugly, S., Bjärsholm, D., Jansson, A., Rosendal Hansen, A., Hansson, O., Brehm, K., Datmo, A., Hafsteinsson Östenberg, A., & Vikman, J. (2022). A retrospective study of physical fitness and mental health among police students in Sweden. The Police Journal: Theory, Practice and Principles. doi.org/10.1177/0032258X221089576