Zurich police practice complex operations in virtual reality

Since mid-June, the Zurich city police have been training regularly in the Fusion Arena. The virtual reality simulation was developed especially for the police and is so far unique in Europe.

Four police officers are standing in front of a bank on Paradeplatz in the city of Zurich. They hear about it over the radio: There is at least one armed perpetrator in the building. He may have accomplices, shots have been fired. And there are injured people.

The scenario is fictitious. But for the four officers of the Zurich City Police it feels quite real. Through their virtual reality glasses with 3D effect, they see their surroundings. They have sensors on their hands and feet, and through headphones they hear sounds and the voices of their colleagues.

Almost like a real operation

City police officer Jill Zimmerli describes the experience as follows: "You get a lot of impressions: People screaming and lying injured on the ground. Then you hear the radio and constantly communicate with each other in the team. A TV is on, you hear the sirens from outside. It's like a real operation. You have to process these impressions. All that together makes it real."

After ten minutes, the police team meets the perpetrator on the third floor of the virtual bank building. In conversation, Jill Zimmerli tries to persuade the man to give up while a team colleague holds a gun on him. In the end, the police officers succeed in arresting the perpetrator.

Not a baller game

Marco Cortesi, media spokesperson for the Zurich city police, emphasises: "It's not about a baller game at all - it's like in reality. The police only use the gun very rarely. It's mainly about communication."

Training in the simulation can only be completed successfully if tactics and communication are right. Although it is still very new, various police corps from all over Europe are already interested in the virtual reality training of the Zurich City Police.

The project is a cooperation between the police and a civilian provider of virtual adventure games. The trainings do not take place in police premises, but in the Fusion Arena in Zurich's Letzipark.

Founder Ronny Tobler had the idea for the police trainings. Together with the Swiss VR company TrueVRSystems he founded Refensa. He now runs a company for professional virtual mission training and is also in talks with other blue-light organisations and the army.

"The analysis is merciless"

Dozens of cameras record every movement, every conversation and even the direction of the police officers' gaze. This allows for an enormously detailed analysis, says police instructor Silvan Gort:

"The system records everything mercilessly. I can check every movement, every action of the policeman. As an example: Is the direction of the barrel of the gun congruent with the policeman's gaze? That is a very important tactical detail."

Since mid-June, around 400 police officers have already completed the first virtual training situation. The goal of the Zurich City Police is to regularly offer virtual training in the future. This will be done for a wide range of complex operational situations that could hardly be carried out in a conventional training in the real world, or only with much greater effort.

Source: SRF / Mixed