Edtech event to launch virtual reality knife crime solution - a huge success.
Birmingham-based creative arts company Round Midnight, West Midlands Police, and the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner launched a new interactive virtual reality program to tackle knife crime at Icentrum, the region's leading digital tech campus.
Last week, the launch of Virtual_Decisions: KNIVES was the first in-person event at Icentrum since March 2020, and with over 100 guests attending, including police, teachers, and televisions producers, it proved to be an enormous success.
The evening began with a heartfelt speech from David Hardman, Managing Director Bruntwood SciTech, Birmingham, followed by a live walkthrough of the virtual reality program by Simon Foster, West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner. Cast from a VR headset onto a cinema-style screen, delegates could see Mr. Fosters' every decision in the choose your own path VR experience. This was his first experience using a headset and described as a truly immersive experience, Mr Foster said "It's a really imaginative and innovative project. It's so important that we educate young people around issues relating to knife crime. It's a really good example of joint partnership working between the office of the office of the Police and Crime Commissioner of the West Midlands and Round Midnight who are the creators of this virtual reality experience because its only by working together that we can prevent violent crime, protect our young people and save lives"
The audience then had an opportunity to ask questions of a panel that included Claire Downes, Founder, and Director of Round Midnight, Dominic Thompson, workshop leader. Actors from Virtual_Decisions: KNIVES, Dr Stephanie Burnett-Heyes, Lecturer and British Academy postdoctoral fellow at the University of Birmingham and Chief Inspector Lucy Kirwan of West Midlands Police. The audience's questions and response to the film provided a lively, thought-provoking debate about the use of technology to tackle knife crime.
The evening concluded with refreshments and a chance for delegates to try Virtual_Decisions: KNIVES for themselves. John Cooke, founder, and director of business growth consultancy Element-C said 'it was an amazing launch event for Round Midnight. Their VR education solution tackling knife crime was amazing. You should check out Virtual Decisions. Seeing the Police and Crime Commissioner use it for the first time on stage, and his reactions were very compelling.
West Midlands Police commissioned Round Midnight to create Virtual_Decisions: KNIVES, following its award-winning virtual reality film, Virtual Decision: GANGS which looks at gang culture. The new virtual reality film explores why many young people carry a weapon and the consequences. It launched on 29th September and is ready for delivery in schools.