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Shape up or ship out, Bhubaneswar police commissioner’s sermon to city cops
Odisha police association says cops want to remain in shape but have no time for physical fitness as they are overburdened with work.
While governments across states have been trying hard to flatten the Covid infection curve, the top brass of Odisha police has asked the cops in the twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack to focus on flattening their bellies and bringing down their weight to ward off co-morbidities that increase vulnerability to coronavirus.
In a notice to the policemen and policewomen of Bhubaneswar-Cuttack police commissionerate, police commissioner Sudhansu Sarangi has made it clear that cops with high body mass index would be given a chance to get in shape by November failing which they may be given compulsory retirement.
“While joining service, our officers receive physical training apart from learning technicalities of the job and are physically fit. But over the passage of time, the training is forgotten and they do not take care of their health. They then suffer from health issues such as high/low blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol. Any person with such comorbid conditions is at a high risk because of Covid-19. We might even see some new kind of virus attack in the future and have to be prepared for any eventuality,” said Sarangi in his notice to over 7,000 policemen of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.
Sarangi said height and weight of all cops will be measured to calculate Body Mass Index. Those with more than 30 BMI would be guided on what measures to follow to have a healthy lifestyle. If by November, a staff’s BMI is still above 30 then they would have to mandatorily attend a six-week refresher course.
The commissioner said those who don’t take the order seriously may face a cut in increment and compulsory retirement.
Incidentally, in 2017, union ministry of Home Affairs had issued a circular to all the states for making it compulsory for all cops to adhere to the norms of SHAPE – 1, the highest physical fitness standard for cops. As per MHA, SHAPE-1 is an acronym for S – Psychological, H – Hearing, A – Appendages, P – Physical Fitness and E – Eye Sight. The 2017 circular had also clearly advised states not to recommend obese cops for police medals.
The Odisha Police Association welcomed the move saying it was necessary, but added that the cops need time to exercise regularly. Referring to the Status of Policing in India Report-2019 by Common Cause and Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, OPA president Satyajit Mishra said about 60 percent police personnel in Odisha work for more than 16 hours and 22 percent work for more than 13 hours a day.
“The policemen need enough time. During the lockdown, the work hours of policemen have been very hectic. All policemen want to come back to shape. It’s just that the work burden is way too much,” said Mishra.
