Four-Year Training Course for Police Officers (CFOP) and Fitness Outcomes of Police Academy Cadets: A Cohort Study from 2004 to 2020

Abstract

This study examines the effect of gender, age, and a 4-year training course for police officers (CFOP) on the physical fitness attributes of Portuguese police academy cadets. This longitudinal cohort study considered 686 police cadets (female, n = 131; male, n = 555 male), corresponding to 2578 fitness assessments (female, n = 509; male, n = 2069). The database of police cadets' physical fitness evaluations (from 2004/2005 to 2019/2020) comprises body size, speed, agility, strength, flexibility, and aerobic capacity first assessment (T0) and evaluations at the end of the first four years of the CFOP (T1, T2, T3, T4). Results showed that (i) female cadets are younger (p < 0.05), shorter, lighter, less fast, less agile, less strong, and perform worse in aerobic capacity assessments than male cadets (all, p < 0.001) but perform better in the flexibility assessment (p < 0.001); (ii) female cadets > 29 years are significantly heavier, slower, jump less, perform fewer sit-ups, and perform less on the Cooper test (but they have more handgrip strength), and male cadets > 29 years are significantly heavier, slower, jump less, perform fewer sit-ups, and have less flexibility and aerobic capacity (still, they have superior back and lumbar strength and handgrip strength); and (iii) from T0 to T4 (Δ), female cadets are significantly faster (60 m, -0.32 s; slalom, -0.78 s), jump further (+4 cm), have more abdominal strength endurance (+2.6 repetitions) and more back and lumbar strength (+89.8 kg), and male cadets are significantly heavier (+3.27 kg), faster (60 m, -0.23 s; 30 m, -0.15 s; slalom, -0.91 s), jump further (+8 cm), complete more repetitions in the sit-ups (+4.9 repetitions) and in pull-ups (+2.5 repetitions) and have more back and lumbar strength (+92.1 kg) and handgrip strength (+8.6 kg) but a lower aerobic capacity (Cooper test, -74.8 m; VO₂max, -1.3 mL/kg/min) when compared to T0. The study's findings lead to widely accepted conclusions within the discipline. Nevertheless, this work provides valuable insights into the impact of various factors on the physical fitness of Portuguese police academy cadets, i.e.: (i) it is an essential study with practical implications for recruitment, training, and the ongoing development of Portuguese police academy cadets and police officers; and (ii) these results can also assist in tailoring training programs to different age groups and genders, which is crucial in police training.

Keywords: aerobic capacity; age; gender; normative data; police academy; speed; strength.

Figure 1

The fitness test battery adopted by the Higher Institute of Police Sciences and Internal Security (Lisbon, Portugal) between 2004/2005 and 2019/2020.

Figure 2

Police academy 4-year training course for police officers considered in the study (cohorts) and respective evaluation moments. Key: The last year of Cohort 13 (2016/2020) coincided with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Figure 3

Schematic representation of the agility test adopted in 2004/2005 by the Higher Institute of Police Sciences and Internal Security—Lisbon—Portugal. Key: A–D, cones; E, finish line.

Figure 4

Representation (mean ± confidence interval) of Portuguese police academy cadets’ body mass, speed, agility and aerobic capacity outcomes at the initial assessment and the end of the second semester of each of the four academic years. Key: , female; , male; T0, initial assessment; T1, first year; T2, second year; T3, third year; T4, fourth year; statistics (difference from T0)—***, p < 0.001 or **, p < 0.01 or *, p < 0.05.

Figure 5

Representation (mean ± confidence interval) of Portuguese police academy cadets’ strength and flexibility outcomes at the initial assessment and the end of the second semester of each of the four academic years. Key: , female; , male; T0, initial assessment; T1, first year; T2, second year; T3, third year; T4, fourth year; Statistics (difference from T0)—***, p < 0.001 or **, p < 0.01.