Crime fighting: Virtual policing

Dubai:  Always dead serious about fighting crime, Dubai Police have turned to serious gaming to take their preparedness to a new level.

They are now using cutting-edge virtual training to help new recruits deal with potential crime situations, thanks to a revolutionary gaming technology developed at their new Virtual Training Section at Dubai Police General Headquarters.

As part of the programme, cadets are thrown into the middle of the action and confronted with tricky scenarios ranging from murder and robbery to road accidents - all digitally reconstructed from real incidents in Dubai.

A watchman finds a man's body hanging from a door inside a plush downtown apartment. He calls the police. It appears a suicide, but is it? The recruit has to preserve the crime scene, search for clues using forensics tools provided in the option bar on his computer screen and piece together the evidence to figure out the mystery. Much the same way, he has to solve a robbery case at a carpet shop and, in another instance, find out who was at fault in a massive car crash on Shaikh Zayed Road.

Real-life situations

The game uses details from actual cases like photographs and CCTV footage to simulate real-life situations where trainee officers "walk around" and "uncover evidence".

"For a police force which has always been quick to embrace new technology, virtual training is a logical step forward," said Major Dr Ahmad Bin Subaih, Head of Virtual Training Section, Dubai Police and the man behind the unique training model, the first-of-its-kind for a police force anywhere in the world.

Engaging and focused

According to Bin Subaih, traditional learning procedures like lectures, field and on-the-job training have several limitations. "Because of safety and logistic issues, it's not always possible to put a trainee on a crime or accident scene. In the case of lectures, it's a one size fits all approach. It doesn't work. Lectures are passive in nature. Virtual training, in contrast, provides a realistic hands-on experience that closely mimics real situations. It's far more engaging and focused," he said.

Perhaps quite rightly so. Within months of being implemented at Dubai Police Academy, the programme is beginning to show positive results. Ask Maj Saeed Al Sa'adi, Deputy Director of Wanted Persons Department at Dubai Police. "We have noticed a remarkable improvement in the performance of officers. Now they conduct crime scene investigations with assiduous attention to detail," gushes Maj Al Sa'adi.

Maj Omar Ashoor, Director of the Traffic Accidents Department of Dubai Police, is no less impressed by the programme which, he reckons, saves him "time and effort". "We can't fake an accident to train our staff. But with this training module, we can familiarise our officers with the scenarios they are likely to encounter during active duty," he said.

A typical training session could last anywhere between 30 and 60 minutes. A record of the trainees' performance is saved on the computer so that it can be evaluated by the trainer.

"The evaluation focuses on the choices a trainee makes as he goes about his job vis-a-vis securing crime scene, collecting evidence, speaking to witnesses and seeking the help of forensics," said Bin Subaih.

To put things in the right perspective, Bin Subaih shows a CSI game where an officer's avatar investigating a burglary walks past a water sprinkler. "This is wrong procedure. The officer should have turned off the sprinkler because it is erasing the burglar's footprints," he explained.

Besides allowing trainers to track the progress of an officer, the programme also helps the department identify officers with particular skills. "By looking at officers who routinely score at the top, we can develop a promising cadet into a specialist. It also serves as an ideal platform for senior police officers to share their knowledge and experiences so that new recruits could learn from them," said Bin Subaih, adding that police forces of various countries have contacted them for copies of the game so that they can replicate the model in their own countries.

Challenging scenarios

Currently the games run on Torque Game Engine (TGE) used to develop titles like Ultimate Duck Hunting and The Destiny of Zorro. But all that is set to change as the department has just bought the most sophisticated and possibly also the most expensive gaming engine in the world — CryEngine 3.0.

"Yes, we bought it," confirmed Faraz Mohammad Mobin, 3D Modeller and Game Developer at the Virtual Training Section, without divulging cost details.

"With CryEngine 3.0, we will be able to take training realism to a whole new level. We are adding new challenging crime scenarios including hostage situations and SWAT. They will be like video games available on XBox and Playstation, if not better," said Mobin. A team of virtual training specialists, animators and modellers are working on the new engine at Dubai Police General Headquarters' in-house studio.

Is there any plan to sell the games commercially? "We've been given the go-ahead to do that from the commander and we're polishing a version for release to other police forces. As for making the game available for the public, we're considering a trimmed down version that doesn't divulge any sensitive information but yet serves the purpose," hinted Bin Subaih.

The big two

Major Dr Ahmad Bin Subaih

The state-of-the-art Virtual Training Section is the brainchild of Major Dr Ahmad Bin Subaih who, quite fittingly, also heads the unique department. Subaih has a Phd in software engineering from the University of Sheffield, UK. Using games for training policemen was part of Subaih's PhD thesis. Sure enough, when he pitched a proposal for using the gaming model to train Dubai Police officers, it was instantly approved. "There were no hurdles because Dubai Police have always been open to innovative technology," said Bin Subaih, recalling how he then went about searching for game developers and modellers from various parts of the world. In April 2009, the Virtual Training Section was up and running and by October recruits started training on two virtual crime scenes and a car crash scene all reconstructed from real cases.

Faraz Mobin

Game developer and 3D modeller at the Virtual Training Section, Faraz Mohammad Mobin is the archetypal computer geek. The Indian national wears casuals to office, in this case the Dubai Police's General Headquarters, and considers it cool to work with the most advanced police force in the region. Faraz learnt the intricacies of gaming at the College of Interactive Arts in Vancouver, Canada and routinely participates in online 3D challenges to keep his skills sharp. His Batman and Terminator models won him recognition and also helped him get picked by Dubai Police. Faraz's job entails making 3D models, setting up game environments and working closely with programmers of the model.