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Profiling the New Zealand Police Trainee Physical Competency Test
J Jay Dawes1, Jordan Scott2, Elisa F D Canetti2,3
1School of Kinesiology, Applied Health, and Recreation, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, United States.
Frontiers in Public Health
|March 4, 2022
Summary
Police recruit occupational fitness was profiled using the physical competency test (PCT). Younger recruits generally performed better, indicating a need for targeted conditioning for older officers to ensure consistent job performance.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health and Fitness
- Police Science
- Human Performance Evaluation
Background:
- Police officers require high occupational fitness for physically demanding duties.
- The physical competency test (PCT) assesses essential police tasks for trainees.
- Understanding recruit fitness levels is crucial for informing training requirements.
Purpose of the Study:
- To profile the physical competency test (PCT) performance in a police recruit population.
- To assess current occupational fitness levels within the New Zealand Police.
- To inform necessary physical conditioning programs for recruits.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of data from 813 male and 372 female police trainees.
- Collected anthropometric data (height, body mass, BMI) and PCT times.
- Data were stratified by sex and age groups for comparative analysis.
Main Results:
- Significant differences in anthropometric measures and PCT times were observed between sexes (p < 0.001).
- Younger recruits (under 20 and 20-24 years) generally outperformed older recruits (35-39 years).
- Performance disparities were noted across different age groups for both male and female officers.
Conclusions:
- The study provides a performance profile for male and female police recruits on the PCT.
- Age and sex differences in PCT performance suggest potential disparities in occupational readiness.
- Consideration of sex and age-neutral PCT requirements is recommended, with targeted conditioning for older recruits to enhance occupational performance.
