AlliedBarton Security Services, which is exhbiting this week at ASIS 2007 Seminars and Exhibits in Las Vegas, is promising to showcase its "3-D virtual training" solutions that the company says is giving it an edge when training security officers.
The system is perhaps best likened to a simple video game and gives security officer trainees a look inside a virtual world that presents "what if" situations that a security officer might have to deal with at a client site. What it's not is a virtual world with guns drawn like Halo 3 or Gears of War. Rather, the Allied Barton system is clearly defined to check an officer on policy and procedures.
And while we're not talking instantaneous three-dimensional body imaging like you might see in Hollywood, the system is to be "Avatar-based" so that the officer can actually virtually "walk" a scene and interact in that environment. This brings new options in security officer training, which has often been a classroom-based function for many manned security services prociders.
While 3-D technology may catch the buzz, the company is also releasing instructional MP3 files to officers, so that they can acquire additional traning information as they listen to an iPod, or over their computer. AlliedBarton says these MP3 training files aren't designed so much to be new content training as they are refresher courses on content that the officers have already covered.
What is clear is that AlliedBarton isn't content with the old "badge up and head out" scenario from our security industry that has traditionally put officers on site without a high level of training. For a part of the security industry that often is criticized for its level of traiing and professionalism, there's clearly a movement at foot to effect a change.
[If you're at ASIS, head by AB's booth #2920 to see the virtual training system].