Prison Service · Serving officer
Prison officer fitness test: what's the annual serving-officer standard?
The general annual Job-Related Fitness Assessment for band 3–5 prison officers has been suspended since 12 September 2023, following a review that concluded a scenario-based replacement was needed. Recruitment testing is unaffected. Specialist annual testing — Control and Restraint (C&R) Advanced/Tornado, NTRG, NDTSG, PE Officers and dog handlers — continues.
Verified 2026-09-07 against Ministry of Justice — Prison Officer Fitness Testing.
The pass mark
15 m shuttle run (JRFA, C&R Advanced/Tornado annual)
7:2
The general band 3-5 annual JRFA (5:4) is suspended since 12 Sep 2023 — this standard is for C&R Advanced/Tornado officers, whose specialist annual testing continues.
Grip strength
25 kgf each hand
dynamometer, both hands tested — part of the (specialist-only, since Sep 2023) annual JRFA
Static shield hold
6-7 kg for 1 minute
sources conflict between 6 kg and 7 kg, unresolved — Tornado officers hold for 1 min 30 s
Speed and agility course
34 s
timed course, part of the (specialist-only, since Sep 2023) annual JRFA
Role standards
Band 3-5 (general operational)
Suspended — no annual JRFA required since 12 Sep 2023
Control and Restraint (C&R) Advanced / Tornado
7:2
Run itNTRG / NDTSG / PE Officers / dog handlers / MOE
Continues annually — standard not separately published
Good to know
Why 7:2 for C&R Advanced/Tornado
A 2018 MoJ analytical study found the MSFT minimum standards (5:4 for band 3/4 officers, 7:2 for C&R Advanced) produced higher heart rates than officers actually reached in simulated Control and Restraint incidents — evidence the standards weren't set too low for the role.
The suspension is on the record, not on a policy page
There is no published HMPPS policy document confirming the suspension — it's known only from a Deputy Director of Prisons letter (12 Sep 2023) quoted under oath in an employment tribunal judgment. The live Staff Fitness Testing Policy itself is unpublished.
Common questions
What level is the Prison officer (JRFA annual) bleep test?
15 m shuttle run (JRFA, C&R Advanced/Tornado annual) to level 7:2 (The general band 3-5 annual JRFA (5:4) is suspended since 12 Sep 2023 — this standard is for C&R Advanced/Tornado officers, whose specialist annual testing continues.).
When do I take the Prison officer (JRFA annual)?
Suspended for band 3–5 operational officers since 12 September 2023. Specialist roles (C&R Advanced/Tornado, NTRG, NDTSG, PE Officers, dog handlers, MOE) continue to test annually at the standards below.
How many attempts do I get?
Not published for the (suspended) general annual regime or for specialist annual testing.
Does the standard change by role?
Yes — 3 roles carry a different standard from the entry-level one. See the role standards below.
Train it yourself
Some of Prison officer (JRFA annual) doesn't fit a normal training session. Here's what to do for each part.
Vargr builds a plan back from your test dateandSteelRep logs your lifting.
Grip strength
A dynamometer squeeze is a five-second peak-grip test — there's no 40-minute session built around it.
Bolt heavy farmer's walks or loaded carries for time onto the end of two or three sessions a week, 3-5 sets. Add dead hangs from a bar, working toward 30-45 second holds, and finish your last set of any pulling exercise with a thick-bar or towel hold. Stop each set before your grip fails completely.
Static shield hold
Holding a fixed weight still for a minute is a specific isometric skill your bleep sessions don't train.
Twice a week, finish a session with front plate holds — arms extended, holding a light plate, building the time toward a full minute. Isometric front raises (holding the top of a front raise) load the same shoulders the same way. Tornado officers should keep building past a minute toward the 1 min 30 s hold the same way.
Speed and agility course
This is a short, technical shuttle course — practising the turns is what drops your time, not general fitness.
Once a week, when you're fresh, run short shuttle sprints with sharp changes of direction, 5-10 m each way, 6-8 reps, full recovery between. If you know the course's layout, rehearse its actual turns. Keep it short and sharp — never tacked onto the end of a hard session.