More than 500 Met Police officers failed basic fitness test in a year

Blobby bobbies: More than 500 officer failed fitness test
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More than 500 Met Police officers failed the force’s basic fitness test in a year, figures show.

Results released by the College of Policing revealed 553 Met Officers out of 26,637 failed the fitness test between September 2014 and August 2015.

National lead for fitness testing, assistant chief constable Jo Shiner, said that the high percentage of officers passing the test showed that the vast majority were fit to protect the public

She said: "These results show that the vast majority of officers tested were fit and meet the standard required of them to protect the public.

"We know from previous years that slightly fewer female officers are passing and the College of Policing guidance on fitness tests has been carefully designed to support officers who are in this position - including advice on positive action measures such as specialised training and mentoring programmes.

"The public want their officers to be fit and able to protect them in the face of danger and these results show they are able to do just that."

The College of Policing collated figures that showed a lower proportion of female officers than their male counterparts made the grade.

Of the 23,154 times that a woman took the test, 22,095 or 95.4 per cent were passed; while for the 67,376 times a male officer took part, 66,619 were passed - or 98.9 per cent.

The basic fitness test that became compulsory in 2014 requires officers to run 525 metres in three minutes 40 seconds or less.

Those who fail are allowed "at least two retakes", according to College of Policing guidance - and officers who fail repeatedly can face disciplinary action.

Specialist officers including those in firearms, diving, and air support teams have to undergo more rigorous training.

The Evening Standard has contacted the Met Police for their response

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