North Wales Police officers use virtual reality training for coercive control awareness

North Wales Police officers are utilising virtual reality (VR) equipment to enhance their understanding of the experiences of victims of control and coercion. The training, developed by Mother Mountain Productions and conducted at Bangor University, aims to equip officers with a deeper comprehension of domestic crimes.

The training sessions transport officers directly in the shoes of victims of coercive control as they don virtual reality headsets. They experience a number of scenarios based on real-life accounts that are played out by actors, with the officer being trained seeing it from the perspective of the victim.

“The statistics for this type of emotional abuse in England and Wales is in the many tens of thousands, so this is a very real crime we need to understand and try to prevent every day. This training makes a great contribution towards that.”

Inspector Claire McGrady and Violence Against Women and Girls Tactical Delivery Manager for North Wales Police.

Each session illustrates more subtle signs of coercive control, including love bombing, gaslighting and stonewalling. Students temporarily visit a VR reality where perpetrators take control of finances, mobile phones and medications, dictating what their victims wear and who they see or what they do from day to day.

North Wales Police Chief Constable Amanda Blakeman and Wales lead for violence against woman and girls said: “Coercive control can be subtle, making it difficult to identify and to recognise as abuse. Those experiencing it are often left feeling belittled and isolated. Limiting a person’s access to money, dictating what they can wear or making them cut contact with their friends and family are all examples of coercive control.

“This innovative new way of training gives our officers a new perspective and understanding on the domestic crime, allowing us to offer a victim focussed and improved level of service to the public. We are committed to proactively identifying violence against women, and investing in our officers to ensure they are equipped with the skills they need to deal with incidents with confidence and understanding.”

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