New training system for police

A “FLIGHT simulator”-style training system for police officers has been launched in Warrington.
It uses projected images and sound system to allow officers to experience situations close to real-life as they tackle incidents and investigations without leaving the classroom.
The Hydra training system, housed at the Warrington campus of the University of Chester, was launched in front of an audience of representatives from Cheshire Police, Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service, the University, and Cheshire Police Authority.
Cheshire’s Chief Constable Dave Whatton said” “This is a fantastic opportunity to hone the skills of our officers, our staff and people from the key partners we work with. It puts us on the forefront of training.
“Hydra leaves no hiding place. People are exposed to the challenge of thinking clearly, making decisions, developing the consequences of those decisions and accounting for how those decisions were made.
“It also means we can bring together partners from different specialties for training exercises based on the type of incident where multi-agency working would be essential. That is another big benefit from adopting this system.” David Balsamo, Dean of the Faculty of Social Science at Chester University said: “The Faculty has long valued how the use of complex data can be used to understand and solve problems and issues within society and this latest addition to our already broad range of police training provision will ensure that we remain at the cutting edge of police education and development.”
Guests at the launch event tried their hand at a Hydra training exercise. Divided into small teams, they watched as an imaginary story about an employee who might be attempting to avoid a routine drug test unfolded on the screens in front of them.
As they worked to deal with the complexities of the developing situation they were faced with a telephone call from another employee who had lost a folder of highly-sensitive documents which could threaten national security.
Up in the control room, officers monitored the action unfolding in the syndicate rooms. A huge bank of screens allowed them to watch and listen in on the decision making process, and at a chosen time they changed the dynamic of the exercise by filtering in the curveball which opened up the new scenario to run parallel to the first.
Detective Sergeant Nigel Reid from Cheshire Police Learning Development Unit said, “Unexpected and unpredictable developments can be dropped into any exercise story as it is developing. They are very challenging, but they reflect the way real-life situations sometimes change.”