UNODC: Vessel crime-scene investigation

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) commissioned VRG to build a 3D simulation for officers investigating vessels suspected of migrant smuggling. Developed in collaboration with the Regional Support Office of the Bali Process, the exercise places trainees aboard a fishing vessel to practise searching, selecting evidence and explaining their decisions.

Physical training on seized vessels is expensive, hazardous and difficult to arrange. The simulation gives officers a repeatable exercise alongside classroom teaching and case studies.

Searching the vessel

Trainees move through the vessel and its cargo spaces, inspect hidden areas and collect items they consider relevant to an investigation. The environment includes crew quarters, a lower deck and an engine room. Doors, furniture and other objects give the search a physical context, while the confined spaces encourage officers to work through the vessel systematically.

An introductory boarding screen explains the controls. Map navigation helps trainees move between areas, and an evidence bag lets them revisit collected items and consider their significance. The exercise brings legal knowledge and search procedures into a setting where participants have to decide what to examine and what to retain as evidence.

Facilitator-led sessions and debrief

We implemented a client/server system that allows the training facilitator to monitor trainee evidence selections. This gives the instructor a basis for discussing how participants approached the search and why they selected particular objects.

The classroom discussion can examine evidence collected, evidence overlooked and areas that received too little attention. The same vessel supports repeated practice and comparison of different approaches to the investigation.

Delivery on standard laptops

We optimised the simulation for low-powered laptops so it could reach training locations across Southeast Asia where supplying large numbers of VR headsets was not feasible. Participants use a desktop 3D application, with a server supporting the facilitator's view of the exercise. It has been used by law enforcement agencies in multiple countries, including at remote training facilities.

The original architecture set out separate participant and facilitator applications, with session management and remote client updates to support classroom delivery.

Development with the training team

The project began with a proposal and procurement process in 2021, followed by development, classroom review and revisions during 2022. UNODC supplied subject expertise and evidence material. Feedback covered navigation through the engine room, the size and visibility of collected objects, the boarding instructions and the ease of reviewing evidence.

The reviews focused on making items easier to inspect and the exercise easier for instructors to run, so officers could concentrate on the investigation.

In its written reference of December 2023, UNODC confirmed that the simulation had become a useful part of training courses addressing migrant smuggling. The reference recognised the suitability of low-powered laptops, VRG's responsiveness when issues arose and delivery against the project's training objectives.

Project details