This 'band of the super fit fixation is the sort of misguided leadership caused by a hierarchy with little of no real knowledge of policing as it is done.
Having arrived into fast track promotion direct from Uni or spent years wandering around Uni in the Job's time getting a Degree in Criminology as perceived by a non-police person they have this vision of fit young things hurtling around the streets [and running straight into trouble] as their perfect police officer.
When crime was low and inevitably solved to a high percentage level it was undertaking by heavy smoking and drinking 'plodders' not fit whizz kids. They thought about their actions before they undertook them. No-one runs into an incident, you arrive at a walk gaining inteligence about the situation with every carefully placed pace.
There are parallels. Air support gains most information in the hover at 2,000 feet not by whizzing in at 150mph to 200 feet.
I believe you only need to look at the relative crime figures to gain an indication which system actually worked.