A new training approach to complex decision making for police officers in potentially dangerous interventions

This article outlines the development and first empirical test of a new training approach to complex decision making of police officers in potentially dangerous situations. The program was developed for the Belgian Gendarmery in response to institutional changes reflecting an increased emphasis on safe interventions in the management of violence. It incorporates theoretical approaches to the training of decision expertise found within cognitive psychology. Twenty-four police officers, with moderate experience, participated in one of four training programs (ten hours each). Decision and intervention skills were assessed pre- and posttraining through the use of slide and video simulations of real world intervention situations. The four training groups included: (1) classic training, (2) slide simulation training, (3) video simulation training, and (4) slide + video simulation training. Before training, officers took on average ten preventive actions to resolve situations. After training, the video-trained group increased to sixty preventive actions. Despite increased resolution skill, shooting efficiency remained low in all groups. Several recommendations have been made for the optimization of complex decision training with regard to the type and frequency of training as well as performance assessment.