[Exclusive] Sharp Increase in Police Physical Fitness Test Non-Participation Due to COVID-19...1.4%→81.6%

Only Volunteers Tested Amid Cluster Infection Concerns
83% of Seoul Police Agency Members Not Tested
Incheon Agency with Poor Response at 76.8%
"Fitness Tests Should Be Available Regularly"

Police Physical Fitness Test. The photo is not directly related to the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] The proportion of police officers who did not participate in the annual physical fitness test has surged since the spread of COVID-19. Since last year, the fitness test has been conducted only for volunteers to prevent security gaps caused by group infections, and the non-participation rate, which was about 1%, has exceeded 80% this year, leading to criticism that the fitness test has become virtually meaningless.

According to the "Police Officer Physical Fitness Test Status for the Past 5 Years" obtained by Asia Economy from the National Police Agency on the 3rd, out of 129,460 police officers nationwide eligible for the fitness test this year, 105,591 (81.6%) did not participate. Last year, 64.2% of the 125,774 eligible officers did not take the test. This contrasts with 2019, before the outbreak of COVID-19, when only 1,712 officers (1.4%) were absent due to injuries or other reasons. The police have a policy to substitute recent fitness test results within the past three years for those who do not wish to take the test due to infection concerns or other reasons.

By affiliation, among this year's 29,689 eligible officers in the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, 83% were classified as non-participants. The Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency and Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police Agency recorded non-participation rates of 81.2% and 72.6%, respectively. In Incheon Police Agency, which recently faced criticism for inadequate response to the "inter-floor noise stabbing" incident, 76.8% did not participate in the fitness test.

According to the National Police Agency's directive, the "Police Officer Physical Fitness Management Regulations," the police fitness test is held annually by October. It consists of four events: 100-meter dash, push-ups, sit-ups, and grip strength, with results graded from 1 to 4 according to gender and age. Non-participants and those who receive the lowest grade (grade 4) are allowed one additional chance to take the test individually. However, officers on temporary duty, undergoing training, injured, pregnant, or within one year after childbirth are exempted. Additionally, voluntary participants aged 55 or older or holding the rank of Senior Superintendent or higher may choose to participate voluntarily. The participation rate of voluntary participants has also declined since COVID-19; about 10% of the 13,293 eligible officers took the test in 2019, whereas only 3% and 2% did so last year and this year, respectively.

As the number of non-participants increased, the number of officers in each grade decreased, with the largest drop seen in grade 1. In 2019, 85.8% received grade 1, but this year only 16.3% did. In the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, the proportion of grade 1 officers fell from 83.2% in 2019 to 14.4% this year.

Professor Lee Geon-su of the Department of Police Science at Baekseok University explained, "Physical fitness is one of the important factors in police officers' field response, and measurement and management of this are necessary to improve response capabilities. Considering the special situation of COVID-19, efforts such as dividing the target group to conduct fitness tests regularly seem necessary."