The British Transport Police are facing criticism for axing mandatory fitness tests, claiming they’re not fair to women. The Mail has more.
British Transport Police said female officers were suffering “indirect discrimination” from doing a so-called bleep test – in which they have to run up and down a 15-metre track for three minutes 35 seconds – because they were far more likely to fail than men.
Now only new recruits and specialists, including dog handlers and armed officers, are required to pass a fitness test.
BTP, whose 3,000 officers patrol railway stations across Britain, said the move had meant 50 people who had failed the test had been allowed back on the front line.
But last night critics said that officers had to be in shape.
One serving officer told the Mail on Sunday: “Members of the public call the police expecting officers capable of doing the job of protecting them.
“It’s embarrassing to see colleagues who can barely do up their stab vest, and knowing they might not even be able to manage a two-minute jog is not just concerning but dangerous.” …
BTP has become the first force to drop the test for all officers.
It had said in a 2021 report on the gender pay gap that it had concerns about the impact the test has “on women, particularly those going through menopause”.
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