Design Framework for VR Games in the Police Domain

The escalation in the number of conflicts poses various implications and consequences to society, demanding a comprehensive understanding from a law enforcement perspective. The surge in conflicts introduces significant challenges related to public safety, necessitating adaptive strategies for both conflict and crime prevention and resolution. Accordingly, effective policing must adapt to the evolving dynamics, employing a nuanced approach that addresses the root causes of conflicts and enhances community resilience to avoid or mitigate them and their broader societal impact. A pivotal role is this direction is played by the ongoing technological advancements that facilitate actions like enhancement of situational awareness, analyzing patterns and anticipating potential hotspots and activities, facts that sustain both proactive and reactive measures. In particular, technological advancements in Virtual Reality (VR) present a valuable avenue for addressing policing challenges, especially in relation to conflict resolution, mitigation, and prevention. Building VR simulations for training purposes offers a controlled yet realistic environment for officers to practice e.g., de-escalation strategies and decision-making under stress. These gaming simulations provide a platform to expose officers to diverse scenarios, fostering adaptability, encouraging communication and collaboration, and enhancing their ability to properly handle conflicts with precision and self-control. At the same time, VR systems can be developed for societal awareness and educational purposes, fostering better understanding and communication between law enforcement and the public. While a broad range of governmental, practitioner, and academic efforts exist aiming at building and incorporating VR solutions for various purposes in the police domain, specific areas that involve other societal forces and bystanders need more attention. It is then the aim of this article to capture existing design and evaluation principles as well as lessons learned from existing VR solutions in the police domain. This is done by proposing a design framework for responsible VR gaming solutions in the police domain following the Design Science Research methodology in a transdisciplinary approach.