Enhancing Instructor Expertise in Use-of-Force Responses through Science and Practice
The Threat Assessment Dynamics microcredential explores the psychology of how humans perceive, respond to, and recall information during high-stress critical incidents. Designed for law enforcement instructors and other professionals in tactical roles, this program provides a comprehensive understanding of stress effects on human performance and introduces evidence-based instructional methods for use in simulated use-of-force scenarios.
Delivered across three modules, the course integrates psychological theories, educational strategies, and the latest research on memory recall after critical incidents. Participants will gain practical measures to enhance scenario-based training, including stress-inoculation techniques, pre-programmed responses, and methods to build officers' confidence and performance under pressure.
The program also emphasises the importance of realistic, instructor-guided simulations as an essential tool for skill development and decision-making. By the end of the course, participants will be equipped to create more effective and consistent training methodologies to enhance officer preparedness and community safety.
Upon completion of the course, you should be able to:
Describe the essential elements involved in Threat Assessment
Apply the Situational Awareness Model
Describe the Body Alarm Response
Identify Perceptual Distortions common to critical incidents
Describe how stress affects perception, actions and memory in high-stress situations
Adopt methods to improve skill learning and development
Apply optimised methodologies in scenario-based training
Describe the concepts related to memory recall and the investigation of high-stress critical incidents
This course is designed for:
Police instructors responsible for operational safety and use-of-force training
Professionals in similar organisations seeking advanced insights into stress, decision-making, and critical incident training
Upon completion of the course, you should be able to:
Describe the essential elements involved in Threat Assessment
Apply the Situational Awareness Model
Describe the Body Alarm Response
Identify Perceptual Distortions common to critical incidents
Describe how stress affects perception, actions and memory in high-stress situations
Adopt methods to improve skill learning and development
Apply optimised methodologies in scenario-based training
Describe the concepts related to memory recall and the investigation of high-stress critical incidents
Meet your course instructor
Michael Roscoe - Federal Agent, Professional Development Team, Operational Proficiency, Learning and Development Command, AFP.
Mick Roscoe who lives in Brisbane, has fifty one years' experience in military (British Royal Marines) and three Australian police special operations teams. He has performed active service in Northern Ireland and Iraq. Mick has been involved in curriculum design and the implementation of training techniques for special operations police in South Australia, Queensland, ACT, Iraq and in the Asia-Pacific region. Mick conducts scientifically validated training programs, which includes on-going scientific research into human performance in critical, life-threatening incidents. Mick’s focus is to understand human functioning under stress and how this impacts operational capabilities, use of force decisions and memory recall.
Mick’s thesis examines how perception, attention and memory performs in high-stress situations with insights into improving the ability of police subjected to critical incident stress, including their post-incident debriefing. Mick’s former position within the tactical community has provided him with unique personal experiences and access to highly trained operators who participate in his research. He originally designed specialised scenario-based training programs in the 1990's known as Stimulus Response Training (SRT), this program is now named Threat Assessment Dynamics (TAD). Mick also designed Adrenaline Stress Conditioning (ASC) that prepares tactical officers for realistic and anticipated dangers requiring the highest level of cognitive and physical effort.
Mick has given expert evidence in the Brisbane Coroner’s Court in regard to use of force matters following a police-involved shooting and has advised The Crown Solicitor’s Office of New South Wales regarding civil matters concerning the Commonwealth and State governments.
In 2007 Mick was employed by the AFP as a tactical operator and trainer. Mick was also a full-time instructor for two years to the Solomon Islands Police Response Team. Mick returned to the Tactical Response Team, at Majura as a full-time instructor from 2016 to 2021.
In 2022 Mick helped in the creation of the Professional Development Team, Operational Safety and Practice, with the intent of developing instructor skills and their scientific knowledge across the AFP. Mick's input has seen practical enhancements in shooting technique and use of force training in Canberra and in all regions of Australia. Instructors are able to access three online modules related to skill learning and human behaviour in high stress situations through collaboration with Bond University's Microcredential program that Mick designed and implemented in 2023.
Mick published his first open access research paper through Heliyon (ScienceDirect) in August 2024 entitled, "A comparison of recall methods for high-stress critical incidents in police training." In 2023 Mick was chosen as the AFP liaison to researchers from the University of NSW who received a grant from National Intelligence to conduct studies of memory under stress in AFP officers conducting simulated active armed offender scenarios. Eye-tracking, heart rate and memory data has been collected and a research publication is currently under construction.
Testimonials
Former Special Emergency Response Team, Queensland Police
The course is well designed and engaging with a practical orientation. The course materials were easy to understand and navigate. This course directly compliments and reinforces knowledge obtained in other course such as Force Science. Given the opportunity I would highly recommend this course.
Buzz - Operational Safety Trainer, Australian Federal Police.
As an operational safety trainer for the Australian Federal Police, I've had the privilege of engaging with Mick Roscoe's course on Threat Assessment Dynamics, and it has provided valuable insights into how the brain perceives and responds to the world, particularly in high-stress, real-world environments.
Mick Roscoe's course is a valuable addition to the body of knowledge that supports law enforcement training. It bridges the gap between cognitive neuroscience and practical operational safety, providing tools that help officers understand not just what happens in high-stress situations, but why it happens. I highly recommend this course for anyone in law enforcement or related fields looking to deepen their understanding of human decision-making and performance under stress.
Sam - Operational Safety Trainer, Australian Federal Police.
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