"It's a requirement in my view," Ivan Dean said.

The former long-serving inspector, who finished his police career as Northern District commander in 2002 and is now the independent Windermere MLC, said: "I absolutely see this as an issue."

"I saw it as an issue when I was at the academy in a training position and as an inspector.

"I always said it was a nonsense they had to meet all these criteria to get in the job and once you get in there you can turn to fat and obesity."

Police require recruits to pass rigorous fitness testing before being accepted, but do not have a universal fitness monitoring scheme during their careers.

Fitness standards are required for specialist squads such as search and rescue, dive and helicopter aircrew.

IN OTHER NEWS:

The Department of Police, Fire and Emergency Management plans to spend $268,000 on a voluntary Ready For Response program encouraging police and other emergency services workers to eat better and get fitter.

The Australian Taxpayers' Alliance slammed the spending on what policy researcher Julia Kokic described as a "doughnut discouragement program".

Ms Kokic said nutrition and fitness were personal responsibilities.

It emerged this week general duties officers were not subjected to fitness testing as a matter of course, as is the case in the military.

"Police should all be required to have a certain level of fitness," Mr Dean said.

"At the coalface, police are required not only to protect themselves, but to protect others.

"I've had police say 'I don't like working with so and so; they're not (physically) up to it.'

"For a police officer doing the everyday work of a police officer, they've got to be reasonably fit."

He said it was an "absolute danger" if they were not.

"I feel for police when they are at a job and they know they're not capable of certain activities and functions," he said.

"It's got to be a concern for them."

Mr Dean said police were told they were expected to keep to a reasonable fitness standard, but that was not enough.

"They're got to ensure people are tested and given the opportunity to participate in fitness programs," he said.

Assistant Commissioner, Specialist Support, Robert Blackwood said the Ready for Response program was first held in 2019 and aimed to improve emergency responders' mental and physical wellbeing.

"Policing is a challenging profession and a high standard of mental and physical fitness is required to meet the demands of the job," he said.

He said there were rigorous standards for applicants and they were encouraged to continue their fitness during the course and their careers.

"There is no standard physical fitness testing for general duties officers," he said.

"However, under the Tasmania Police Manual, police officers must be generally physically fit to be able to efficiently and effectively perform their duties.

"In order to determine any matter relating to ability to perform duties, the Commissioner of Police may direct a police officer to be medically examined.

"If the Commissioner determines the officer is unable to efficiently and effectively perform their duties, he may take action under the Police Service Act."

Assistant Commissioner Blackwood said there were fitness requirements for selection in various specialist roles and they were required to be maintained.

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