Physical competency test

Request Number: FOI/16559

Category: Human Resources - Officer and Staff (Recruitment & Promotion)

Subject: Physical competency test

Request and Answer: 
Your request for information has now been considered. In respect of Section 1(1)(a) of the Act we can confirm that the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) does hold some information to which your request relates and this is being provided to you. We further consider the information you seek in Question 4 is exempt by virtue of Section 40 of FOIA and have detailed our rationale as to why this exemption applies. We have also provided you with links to guidance issued by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) which we have followed in responding to your request. 

Question 1
Can the PSNI provide figures showing the number of police officer recruits accepted in each of the past 10 years (including 2025) broken down into each year and age categories?

Answer 1

*Recruitment ongoing - figures are correct as at 31/12/2025

Question 2
For each of the last 10 years can you show the number of recruits who failed a Physical Competency test (or whatever the equivalent name may be for such a test within the PSNI)? Please break those who failed the fitness test down into age categories. 

Answer 2
In the past 10 years a total of 235 individuals failed the physical competency test

Age 17-29 - Total 148

Age 30-39 – Total 62

Age 40+ - Total 25

Please note: Physical Competency tests for the 2021 and 2025 recruitment campaign are still ongoing.

Question 3
If there are different expectations based on age please define those fitness targets and the correlating age range. I'd like it split into age ranges and to show how many individuals failed the test from each age range for each year out of the last three years. 

Answer 3
All candidates are required to meet the same PCA standard – there are not different expectations based on age.

Question 4
I would also like it broken down to show how many of those recruits that failed the fitness test were men and how many were women for each age category and each year.

Answer 4
 

PSNI is withholding year by year breakdown in the male and female age 30-39 and 40+ categories to avoid identifying any individuals. We have applied a Section 40 exemption and more information on this has been explained below.

Partial exemption

Section 17(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 requires the Police Service of Northern Ireland, when refusing to provide such information (because the information is exempt) to provide you the applicant with a notice which:

1. states that fact,
2. specifies the exemption in question and
3. states (if not otherwise apparent) why the exemption applies.

The exemption/s, as well as the factors the Department considered when deciding where the public interest lies, are listed below:

Section 40(2)(a)(b) by virtue of 40(3)(A)(a) Personal Information – Information constitutes personal data and disclosure would contravene any of the Data Protection principles.

Section 40(2) of the FOIA is an absolute exemption which means there is no requirement on the PSNI to consider whether there is a public interest in disclosure. It is an interface exemption and we must consider whether release of the information would breach the General Data Protection Regulations (‘GDPR’) or the Data Protection Act 2018 (‘DPA’) Third party personal information in relation to names, and therefore this information constitutes information which can identify individuals is ‘personal data’ under the GDPR (Article 4) and DPA (Part 1 s.3).

Under the Freedom of Information Act, PSNI must consider if information can be released into the public domain. We have therefore considered whether the disclosure of this personal data is subject to the exemption at Section 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 by virtue of s40 (3)(A)(a). As this information is ‘personal data’, PSNI considered whether disclosure would contravene any of the six data protection principles contained within the GDPR or DPA.

The six data protection principles are good information handling standards which PSNI must comply with in relation to how it handles personal information, including deciding whether to disclose it or not. In particular, the first principle requires personal data to be processed ‘fairly and lawfully’. In considering whether it is ‘fair’ to any individual to release information about them, PSNI considered the likely expectations of the individual and the nature of the information involved including police officers and police staff must have confidence that their information is treated sensitively and appropriately by PSNI. We consider that any individual would not have any reasonable expectation that PSNI would disclose such information of this nature about them. We consider it would be extremely unfair to this individual and therefore a breach of the first principle of data protection legislation.

The full text of exemptions can be found at www.legislation.gov.uk and further guidance on how they operate can be located on the Information Commissioners Office website www.ico.org.uk.

Question 5
If the fitness requirements for recruits have been altered in the past 10 years can you please specify the changes, ie relaxed bleep test, push up and sit up requirements etc?

Answer 5
In May 2020, the Physical Competence Assessment pass time was increased from 3 minutes 54 seconds to 4 minutes 30 seconds for entry into the Police College.