Berlin/videoconference, 2-3 September 2025 — The sixth Behaviour Detection (BD) Research and Development Workshop, hosted by the German Federal Police in Berlin and online, brought together more than 25 participants from 16 ECAC Member States and the United States.
The workshop focused on innovative approaches to BD officer recruitment and training, with a particular emphasis on new technologies such as virtual reality (VR) and e-learning tools.
Speakers from Austria, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland shared updates on their national research projects. They highlighted how technology can enhance training and recruitment, as well as the influence of external factors. Recent research and development initiatives in the field were also presented, with participants exchanging outcomes to support the further development and wider implementation of BD across ECAC Member States and beyond, before taking part in a panel discussion on future research priorities and limiting factors.
A highlight of the programme was a demonstration by the Netherlands of VR simulation sets currently used in police training.
The workshop was well received, with participants praising the diversity of topics and the high quality of presentations, especially those exploring training methods such as VR tools and tabletop exercises.