Centre of Expertise Urban Vitality

The physical competence test of the Dutch National Police

the effects of wearing a police uniform on test performance

Article

<p>In this study, we investigated the effects of wearing a police uniform and gear on officers’ performance during the Physical Competence Test (PCT) of the Dutch National Police. In a counterbalanced within-subjects design, twenty-seven police officers performed the PCT twice, once wearing sportswear and once wearing a police uniform. The results showed clear indications that wearing a police uniform influenced the performance on the PCT. Participants were on average 14 seconds slower in a police uniform than in sportswear. Furthermore, performing the test in uniform was accompanied by higher RPE-scores and total physiological load. It seems that wearing a police uniform during the test diminishes the discrepancy between physical fitness needed to pass the simulated police tasks in the PCT and the job-specific physical fitness that is required during daily police work. This suggests that wearing a police uniform during the test will increase the representativeness of the testing environment for the work field.</p>

Reference Koedijk, M., Stuurman, H. F., Renden, P. G., Hutter, R. I., Strating, M., & Oudejans, R. R. D. (2020). The physical competence test of the Dutch National Police: the effects of wearing a police uniform on test performance. Police Practice and Research, 21(3), 264-278. https://doi.org/10.1080/15614263.2019.1658583
Published by  Urban Vitality 1 January 2020

Publication date

Jan 2020

Author(s)

Matthijs Koedijk
Hessel F. Stuurman
Peter G. Renden
R. I. (Vana) Hutter
Marian Strating

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