As the police and law enforcement education and training community continues to adopt simulation-based learning approaches to build workforce capability the ultimate test is the impact of such an approach on the reality of operational practice. Preparing officers for decision making in high stakes, high risk situations has seen an ever-increasing reliance on the affordances of virtual reality technologies in their various forms to support the transfer of knowledge and skills from the classroom to application in real world circumstances. This article presents the results of two police decision making simulation exercises (Use of force/shoot-don’t shoot and Incident Command) and environments and the officers perspective on how the experience influences their operational decision making in high stakes high risk circumstances. The results indicate the common value of virtual reality simulation-based learning for application of decision making in high stakes, high risk situations is a critical factor in the development of the officers’ confidence and capability in preparing them for real world situations. Furthermore, the evidence indicates the virtual reality (VR) experiences offer a reference point for the officers when they have no prior real-world experience in the situations. It is this common feature of virtual reality exercises, the building of a library of experience, albeit virtual that establishes the high value of simulation-based learning in professions that demand decision-making in rapid, volatile, life-threatening circumstances.