POLICE officers in North Yorkshire have the lowest fitness record of any force in the country, new figures will claim today.

The College of Policing placed the force lowest for candidates passing new fitness tests, with a pass rate of 83.8 per cent. North Yorkshire Police said the figures were taken from a small, unrepresentative sample and said their actual pass rate was 94.6 per cent.

The college said that from 13,000 tests across 32 forces, two per cent of officers failed. The new shuttle run tests become mandatory in September.

If an officer fails the fitness test at the first attempt, it is advised that at least two retakes are permitted before forces use "unsatisfactory performance" against the participating officer.

Paul Kennedy, Assistant Chief Constable of North Yorkshire, said: “The actual pass rate for North Yorkshire Police officers who have taken the fitness test is 94.6 per cent, with 1,153 officers passing the test out of 1,219 who have taken it so far.

“The results issued by the college today are taken from a small snapshot in time and include the results of only 74 tests."

He added: “Health and fitness is important for everyone’s wellbeing, regardless of the their role and North Yorkshire Police encourages and supports all officers and staff who wish to improve their fitness.”