NINETY-six per cent of Dorset Police Officers passed the latest round of rigorous fitness tests for police officers.

Held by the College of Policing, 151 officers from Dorset attended the fitness test with 145 passing scoring Dorset Police with a pass rate of 96 per cent.

Of the officers who took part in the standard test, 110 men completed it with two failing and 36 woman officers took part, with two also failing.

Five officers, three men and two women, completed an “alternative” test, with three passing.

These latest results come as the College of Policing publishes its guidance on police fitness tests, which will become mandatory annual tests to all forces on September 1.

More than 13,000 police officers from police forces around the country were tested between March and May this year, with an overall pass rate of 98 per cent.

Rose Bartlett, from the College of Policing, said: “The results show that the vast majority of officers tested are fit.

“The new guidance issued to forces has been designed to provide supportive measures to help officers to pass and the college has now commissioned research in order to understand why women and older officers have a lower pass rate.

“The college will continue to monitor the results of police fitness tests and support forces in helping officers to pass.”

The fitness test requires officers to complete what is commonly known as a bleep test, a 15-metre shuttle set to a timer that requires officers to complete the shuttle run at increasing pace.

If officers fail the test at the first attempt, they are allowed to retakes before the effort is marked as unsatisfactory.

The College of Policing say that the standard required is the same as when police recruit new officers, and that the run is based on scientific research to match the aerobic demands of officer safety training.

Annual fitness tests will be introduced from the start of next month and guidance issued by the college states that officers who undertake Personal Safety Training should achieve a level of 5:4 on the shuttle run.