Relationships between an occupationally relevant specialist police physical assessment and unloaded and loaded longer duration events

Specialist law enforcement personnel, including Police Tactical Group (PTG) operators, are required to perform a diverse range of physically demanding tasks under high-stress conditions. These tasks typically include short duration, explosive, high-intensity activities, such as casualty drags and obstacle negotiation, as well as extended-duration load carriage events, such as rural area searches. These tasks are performed while wearing and carrying personal protective equipment and a combat rifle. To assess occupational readiness, physical fitness assessments are routinely conducted within these units. The aim of this study was to determine relationships between an occupationally relevant urban-based fitness assessment (RUSH) and other, longer duration assessments, be they loaded or unloaded. Retrospective data from 145 male PTG operators (mean body weight = 91.07±10.45kg, mean age = 36.0±6.5yrs) from nine different PTG units were analyzed. Timed performance data were provided for the RUSH, a 2.4km and a 5km unloaded run and a 2km (17.5kg) and a 10km (25kg) loaded march. Correlations were determined via a Spearman’s Rho with alpha levels set at 0.05. The unloaded 2.4km run was the only assessment to show a statistically significant (p=0.041), albeit weak (r=0.217), correlation with RUSH performance. These findings suggest that the RUSH assessment captures distinct physical fitness attributes not currently assessed in endurance-based events, be they unloaded or loaded. The RUSH assessment, designed to simulate intense, short duration, urban tasks, may offer valuable insights into operational readiness and could serve as a valuable component to the PTG fitness assessment battery.