Revealed: Over 1,200 police officers fail fitness test
EMBARGO: Immediate release
Over 1,200 police officers in England and Wales have failed fitness tests so far this year, data uncovered by the Liberal Democrats has revealed.
The figures were obtained through Freedom of Information requests to all police forces across the country, with responses provided by 25 forces.
The Liberal Democrats said the figures should be a wake-up call for ministers, and called for new measures providing tailored support to officers to improve their fitness. It forms part of the party’s call for a return to community policing - where police officers are visible and trusted, with the time and resources to focus on tackling local crime.
The Metropolitan Police had 337 police officers who failed their fitness test, the most in the country. This was followed by Greater Manchester Police (144), West Yorkshire (108) and Thames Valley (66).
Only one force in the country, Derbyshire Police, had a 100% pass rate. Wiltshire Police had the worst failure rate, with almost one in twenty (4.2%) officers failing their fitness test this year. The other forces with the worst fail rates were Surrey Police (3%), Cambridgeshire Police (2.9%), West Yorkshire Police (2.8%). Overall, 1.64% of police officers across the country failed their fitness test this year, up from 1.54% in 2022.
Only two officers have been dismissed after failing their fitness test in the past four years, one in Norfolk and one in Hertfordshire.
Compulsory fitness tests were introduced in 2014 and are designed to meet the same physical standards as those used when recruiting new officers. The annual tests includes a 15-metre shuttle run and requires officers to run 525 metres in three minutes 40 seconds or less.
Liberal Democrat MP and former police officer Wendy Chamberlain MP said:
“Police officers on the frontline do an incredible job catching criminals and keeping the public safe. But people will be understandably worried that so many police officers are failing basic fitness tests.
“This should act as a wake-up call to Conservative ministers who are failing the public on crime. It’s vital that police officers are fit and able to protect the public in the face of danger.
“We need to see more tailored support given to officers who are failing these tests, including providing specialised training where needed.
“That must form part of a shift towards restoring community policing where officers are visible, trusted and empowered to focus on local crime.”
ENDS
Notes to Editor
Full data broken down by police force is available here.