Relationship Between Age and Performance of Police Tactical Group Candidates and Officers Completing an Occupationally Relevant Specialist Police Physical Assessment

Background:
Police Tactical Group (PTG) officers, in general, are older than their general duties counterparts. The nature of the occupational role scope demands a high level of fitness; thus, physical assessments are essential. This research investigated the relationship between officer age and completion times for an occupationally relevant physical fitness assessment in specialist police officers.

Methods:
Retrospective data were collected from 34 male PTG officers (age 37.8 [SD 6.5] y); height 181.6 [SD 6.7] cm; body mass 91.5 [SD 10.9] kg) and 18 male PTG candidates (age 32.1 [SD 5.0] y; height 183.7 [SD 5.8] cm; body mass 89.4 [SD 8.7] kg) competing in the RUSH assessment. The RUSH consisted of alternating directional sprints, crawls, 80kg mannequin drags (10-20m), and adopting shooting positions. Operational personal protective equipment (PPE; 22.2 [SD 4.90] kg) was worn.

Results:
PTG officers were significantly older (P=.002) and carried significantly lighter PPE loads (P<.001). There were no significant differences in mean RUSH times between PTG officers (105.1 seconds [SD 14.6s]) and candidates (111.7 (SD 9.2) s, P=.056). Correlations and a backward stepwise regression model were consistent in indicating that neither age nor group was a statistically significant predictor of RUSH time. PPE weight was not significantly predictive of RUSH time when entered alone in a regression model.

Conclusion:
Age was not a significant predictor of RUSH times; as such, the RUSH can be used for initial candidates and for older qualified personnel. Ongoing physical strength and conditioning practices undertaken by PTG officers may mitigate age-related fitness loss.