Education VR training on vehicle inspection useful in preparation for NATO Summit Written on Monday, June 30, 2025 Innovative training that ensures that knowledge is better retained: this is the objective of Niek, instructor at the Ossendrecht campus. He has been working at the Netherlands Police Academy for three years now. He also helped create the virtual reality* module on vehicle inspection. ‘Our team is small, so we’re always looking for innovative ways to offer training courses. The VR module on vehicle inspection is an example. The module helps us lower our workload while offering students more training hours’, Niek explains. Virtual Reality *Virtual reality (VR) is a computer technology in which a digital world is created that seems real. Special devices, such as VR goggles, allow people to view this world and interact with it as if they are present in it. Users are shown a three-dimensional (3D) environment that makes them feel as if they have entered a different world. The VR training modules at the Police Academy complement police practice so well that they are increasingly being used. The Netherlands Police Academy is a global forerunner in using this technology. Niek teaches various training courses within the specialist training domain of Security, Protection and Interventions. This domain includes courses for explosives detection experts and high-risk and medium-risk protection officers. ‘The vehicle inspection module consists of a theoretical and a practical part. The practical part always involves recreating a real-life situation. This requires a lot of time and resources. Sometimes, preparing the entire scenario takes more time than the exercise itself.’ VR module as a valuable training instrument ‘That’s why we came up with the concept of this VR module. We wanted to draw more attention to the topic of vehicle inspection. Vehicle inspection refers to checking vehicles for explosives and other threats. The idea for the VR module arose after watching a demonstration by the Virtual Training Team at the Ossendrecht campus. It was found that nearly no-one was using the full capabilities of virtual reality in specialist training courses. We decided to fully embrace this technology. The module was developed in close cooperation with the Virtual Training Team and the Product Development Team.’ The Virtual Training Team is a separate team within the Information Management Service. The team focuses on ‘gamification’, i.e. using gaming technologies and elements in non-game contexts. It also makes use of immersive technologies, i.e. technologies that create a simulated environment that is perceived as real by the user, such as VR. The team, led by Giny Verschoor, consists of game developers and game designers. It has already created over thirty VR modules. ‘We’re always looking for new ideas for educational purposes’, Giny says. Vehicle inspection process ‘This cooperation resulted in a product that we then started testing and managed to get approved for various training courses’, Niek says. ‘This process took place at the end of 2022, beginning of 2023. Since then, the module has proven itself very useful in training employees in the run-up to the NATO Summit. At an event like this, there are numerous transport movements, so an additional training instrument like this VR module is ideal. The module doesn’t replace the theoretical and practical training parts, but creates additional practice options.’ ‘The module consists of several interactive practice scenarios that match the theoretical training. Students learn to recognise certain dangerous situations and how to respond. After the interactive practice scenarios, students can start the case. They’re first shown instructions on the screen. When they then turn around, they see the vehicle that the case revolves around. Then, they apply the procedure they learnt.’ (For safety reasons, we will not explain what the procedure entails, but the vehicle is checked front to back and from top to bottom.) ‘Without the commitment of enthusiastic instructors, we would never have succeeded’ ‘In the case of vehicle inspection, it all started by getting the instructors excited about new technologies’, Giny explains. ‘We carried out this project in close cooperation with them. The development team sat in on classes, did research and used the insights they gained in their game design. Together with the instructors, we gradually developed and adapted the module. This way, a realistic and useful scenario was created.’ ‘We considered practical matters too. In this case, we needed to set-up WiFi in the sports hall of the Ossendrecht campus, for example. Without the commitment of enthusiastic instructors such as Niek and his colleagues, we would never have succeeded. It’s a great example of how education, innovation and technology can be brought together to enhance police education.’ From vehicle inspection to ‘bomb lab’ ‘Since its launch, the VR module has been adapted three times’, Niek says. ‘We stay informed of new technological developments and apply these in our education. I still regularly carry out operational shifts. During the NATO Summit, I worked as Team Leader of CBRN Explosives Safety Team. In addition to the VR module on vehicle inspection, we have since developed different modules, including the ‘bomb lab’. ‘Using the bomb lab module, students can safely enter a realistic virtual replica of a bomb lab. Informative pop-ups show them what they should pay attention to and what they should or shouldn’t do in a real bomb lab. This module was only launched last month’, Niek explains. ‘The forensic training programmes also turned out to have a need for these training methods.’ ‘Why VR is so important? Everyone learns in a different way, and I believe it’s essential to offer student various instruction methods. By using VR, students are better able to recall training content. Moreover, it’s adaptable to individual student needs. So it is a great example of tailored training.’