The design and evaluation of simulations for the development of complex decision-making skills

The management of large-scale incidents, such as demonstrations that can affect public order, involves careful planning that takes into account possible contingencies and the effective control of police resources at strategic and tactical levels. The training and development of such skills presents problems, since exercises on the ground are necessarily small-scale, and tabletop map-based simulations are difficult to manage. In association with the (London) Metropolitan Police, a computer-based simulation (CACTUS) was designed for improving strategic and tactical decision-making by senior police officers. It incorporates a digitised map with active (iconised) police, crowd and hostile agents that are able to navigate the map and autonomously interact in ways which simulate aggression and disorder if the police resources and their instructions are not directed with some skill. Adaptive training scenarios are designed in CACTUS by the trainer/facilitator, and the training has phases of planning, event management and debriefing. An evaluation study collected performance data and audio and video records of the interactions between the trainer, the trainees and CACTUS. This data gave useful insights into the decision-making processes and how the CACTUS simulation, through its design features, became a dynamic mediational tool in developing such skills.