A court has upheld the minimum height requirement for police officers in a German state, throwing out the case of three female recruits who were slightly too short.

The North Rhine-Westphalia appeals court said the state was within its rights to enforce a minimum height requirement of 163cm. The court said the height requirement means recruits can perform all the tasks required of officers, "which allows a flexible and effective use of forces".

Three recruits, who stood at 161.5cm, 162cm and 162.2cm, argued that the regulation was discriminatory.

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