West Mercia Police has one of worst fitness test pass rates

West Mercia Police, which covers Shropshire, had one of the worst pass rates of all forces in England and Wales.

Of 1,324 tests taken between September 2014 and August 2015 – the most up-to-date figures available – 1,280 passed, or 96.7 per cent.

Only four of the 43 police forces scored worse, with South Yorkshire Police lowest with 95 per cent.

The compulsory test, which has to be taken by all police officers, was taken 93,956 times from September 2014 to August 2015, with 1,863 failures.

The College of Policing, which compiled the data, recommends officers are given the chance to retake the test twice.

It said it was unaware of anyone being sacked for failing the tests and individual forces could decide how to deal with officers who had failed.

Of all 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales, the overall pass rate was 98 per cent.

The City Of London Police had the highest pass mark, with all 120 tests taken by its officers proving to be successful.

South Wales police had a 99.6 per cent pass rate, while Surrey and Dyfed-Powys both had 99.5 per cent of successes. The fitness test, which became compulsory in 2014, has been designed to meet the same physical standard as those used when recruiting officers.

The annual test involves a 15-metre shuttle run and requires officers to run 525 metres in three minutes 40 seconds or less.

National lead for fitness testing, assistant chief constable Jo Shiner, said the results showed "the vast majority of officers tested were fit and meet the standard required".

She said: "The public want their officers to be fit and able to protect them in the face of danger and these results show they are able to do just that."