The Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) is pleased to announce the launch of a new virtual reality training program for its officers. The HRPS has partnered with Axon, the global leader in connected public safety technologies, and is the first police service in Canada to utilize Axon`s VR empathy-based training services.
The virtual reality training is another tool in the Service`s existing and robust mental health training curricula. The program provides officers with an immersive training experience where trainees can put themselves in the shoes of both the officer responding to the scene and the person in crisis.
Through this partnership, the HRPS will have access to three different virtual reality training scenarios that Axon currently offers. In the future, the Service will use the insights of our many stakeholders in the community to develop additional training modules.
The HRPS has received 20 Oculus GO headsets from Axon, which will be used when training begins in early 2020.
"Axon's innovative empathy-based training will complement our existing training program and further enable our frontline officers to manage and de-escalate potentially high-stakes interactions," says Deputy Chief Roger Wilkie, Halton Regional Police Service. "This partnership with Axon will ultimately serve to bolster community safety and well-being."
For more information and a video demonstration of one of the programs being implemented
[video width="426" height="240" mp4="https://oakvillenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Suicide-Prevention-Demo.mp4"][/video]
Mental health training remains a top priority for the HRPS and will serve to enhance our ability to meet the needs of the residents of Halton. The HRPS remains committed to working with our many community stakeholders and developing de-escalation based training for officers.
About Axon
Axon is a global network of devices, apps, training and people that helps public safety personnel become smarter and safer. With a mission of protecting life, our technologies give customers the confidence, focus and time they need to protect their communities. Our products impact every aspect of a public safety officer's day-to-day experience.
We work hard for those who put themselves in harm's way for all of us. To date, there are more than 428,600 software seats booked on the Axon network around the world and more than 224,000 lives have been saved with the Axon network of devices, apps, training and people.
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