The Effects of Live and Simulation Weapons in Training on Heart Rate Variability of Police Officers

Background: German police officers regularly engage in training measures involving scenarios using simulation weapons with non-lethal training ammunition. Yet, little is known about the effects of live weapons, in contrast to simulation weapons, on police operational stress.

Aim: The study aimed at answering the question of whether the use of simulation weapons differs from the use of live weapons with regards to police operational stress, as measured via heart rate variability.

Methods: Twenty-five German police officers participated in the experiment. A within-subject design was employed. Participants engaged in a 3-minute fighting and shooting exercise. In the live-fire condition, the police officers had to shoot live rounds to specified targets at the end of the exercise. In the simulation condition, participants used non-lethal training ammunition and simulation guns for the same exercise. As a measure of operational stress, heart rate variability was recorded throughout the exercise.

Results: Results for heart rate variability revealed no practically relevant differences between the two conditions during or after the exercise.

Discussion and Conclusion: The results indicate that police operational stress in demanding training situations is not influenced by the choice of tools: simulation or live weapons. Therefore, the use of non-lethal training ammunition systems provides a safe alternative for eliciting similar operational stress responses to using live weapons in dynamic training situations.