Assessing the Skill Requirement of an Occupationally Relevant Specialist Police Fitness Test: A Preliminary Investigation

For an occupational test to be a valid measure of physical fitness, it should not be influenced by technical skill proficiency. The Urban Rush (RUSH) is a proposed fitness assessment for specialist police officers, incorporating short explosive sprints, victim drags, and weapon alignment with targets in a kneeling unsupported position; all performed while wearing occupation loads. This preliminary study aimed to compare RUSH performance between specialist police candidates (who passed fitness requirements but had not received specialist training) and qualified tactical officers, to determine whether tactical skills influenced test outcomes. Retrospective data were collected from 34 male specialist police officers (mean age =37.82±6.54 years: mean height =181.62±6.70 cm: mean weight =91.54±10.89 kg) and 18 male specialist police candidates (mean age =32.11±5.04 years: mean height =183.72±5.79 cm: mean weight =89.44±8.57 kg). Qualified officers were significantly older and carried a lighter absolute load than candidates, (18.97±2.23 kg) and (24.02±3.67 kg), respectively. Although qualified officers were generally faster (105.10±14.61 seconds) than candidates (111.73±9.21 seconds) no significant differences in RUSH completion times remained after controlling for age, height, body weight, kit, and Body Mass Index, F(1, 45)=1.65, p=0.21, partial η²=0.04. These findings suggest that the RUSH is not significantly influenced by tactical expertise, supporting its validity as an occupation-specific measure of physical fitness.