I shamelessly ripped this of Pprune but it certainly makes for an interesting read.
http://www.polfed.org/1104testing_times.pdf
It outlines the police policy to fitness tests with regard to male/female disparities.
Pay particular attention to this statement;
FAQ No.1
"1. Why don't we just have a
lower pass mark for women?
A recruitment fitness test must test
for the physical ability to do the job.
Men and women don't undertake
different roles in the police, so they
should take the same tests. If there
was a lower standard for women,
and a male officer passed the test
at the “woman's level” but failed
to achieve the “man's level” he
would have failed simply because
of his sex. He would have a claim
of direct sex discrimination."
I know the leaflet is dated Nov 04 but the home office issued guidelines to stop any discrimination proceedings in 2003.