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'Diet or quit' IG Punjab tells pot-bellied police
Officers have been given till June 30 to shape up, those deemed too fat from July 1 will not be given field jobs.
Officers have been given till June 30 to shape up, those deemed too fat from July 1 will not be given field jobs. PHOTO: QAZI USMAN/FILE
ISLAMABAD: Punjab’s police chief has ordered tens of thousands of pot-bellied officers to diet or quit frontline duties, officials said Monday.
Inspector General (IG) Punjab Habibur Rehman has ordered 175,000 personnel not to allow their waistlines to exceed 38 inches (96 cm), spokeswoman Nabila Ghazanfar told AFP.
“I’m on a diet and if I can do it, why can’t you?” she quoted Rehman as telling officials last month in the province.
At least 50% of Punjab police are overweight, Ghazanfar said.
The News said the number overweight officers in Rawalpindi stood at more than 77%, adding that “policemen appear to be losing the battle of the bulge”.
Police said officers had been given until June 30 to shape up and those deemed too fat from July 1 would not be given jobs in the field.
“Police officials are joining gyms, jogging and doing other exercise, including a lot of running to become thin and slim,” Ghazanfar said.
Overweight officers are ineffective and “cannot chase bandits, robbers and other criminals properly”, she added, blaming the problem on under-staffing.
“We have a shortage of personnel, what can you expect when one official is doing the job of six people? They don’t get time for physical fitness,” she told AFP.
Another official who did not wish to be named said 100 stations were initially singled out for the exercise order, but Rehman later decided to send warning letters to the entire Punjab police force.
He said the chief believed people only had pot bellies “if they commit a sin or if they are sick”.
“It is my guess that the department will assess progress and if necessary the deadline may be extended,” a senior official said, requesting anonymity.
Pakistan is ranked 165 of 194 on the Forbes list of fattest countries, with 22.2% of the population considered overweight despite poverty faced by millions in the country.
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haha….Nice move!!
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A bearded policeman! A rare commodity. Mashallah
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also trained them how can they lose weight by giving them workshops.
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So Infact now these policemen will be more happy as they will not be given front line jobs and as a result they will enjoy their office duties. They will remain in Police with more easy life from now on..
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@Truth be told: So in your view Bearded people are the most noble ones while non bearded are Immoral??. What an Ignorance my friend. Beard is not a guarantee of nobleness and many Policemen have beards but they are as corrupt as others. A Haji Sahib stamp in Police is another way to escape corruption charges.
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Same old idiotic nonsense, i think the Police Chief has forgotton the primary role Police has to play in the community.
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@Truth be told: LOL
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@Pied Piper:
Not to get fat on public money?
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@Truth be told:
is that you mean what Ordinary Villager has just said :/
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Police is an acronym of : Polite, obedient, loyal, initiator, courageous and efficient. Do you see something like this in our police??
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so its official now: the punjab police doesnt have much else to do anymore.
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Forcing them to exercise is a great move. Exercise is addictive. Once you start, you love the high and do even more, and work to maintain your fitness. It’ll be great to see fit and buff police officers. Good move.
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Having a belly is not easy to get rid of…
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maybe govt should help them with surgeries (liposuction) if their waste is more than 44 inches. It is possible to lose wieght for some and very difficult for others, due to genetic reasons too.
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Our foods are too heavy and fatty.
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An overall drive for low fat foods in Lahore (whole Pakistan) would be a welcome move as most of these policemen have VERY LONG DUTIES and cannot have home cooked food!
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Training of police should be performmed under Pakistan Army Supervision
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“We have a shortage of personnel, what can you expect when one official is doing the job of six people? They don’t get time for physical fitness,” she told AFP.
Hmmm… Does their work not involve physical work at all? I thought they go out and about all day, as opposed to sitting in the office. I guess they need to start stealing less food from roadside food sellers and chhabri waalas….
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The 38-inch rule is arbitrary. Large people can be fit; and skinny people can be unfit. Policemen should just have to pass one of those obstacle course tests routinely through out their career.
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Good decision. It’s an insult that we have out of shape police officers, just one look at them would make us think that they take bribes, neglect duty and nothing else. But still pot-bellied police officers are in shape. I still believe round is a shape.
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Fitness test is to be held every year for every Police-man.
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Every Policeman is to be taught Judo-Karate. They should also be taught about controlled diet.
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They should be taught and repeatedly reminded that their salaries and all facilities, including uniform on their body, are paid by the public, including those working on roads, therefore, they should give respect to all.
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They should be taught to be sympathetic and submissive to every citizen without considering his position and not condoning/forgetting his duty.
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He should be helpful to every body within his lawful limits. He should patiently hear every needy person, who-ever he may be.
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He should be an ideal law abiding citizen in all matters.
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They should accept that their acts and behaviour has converted many good citizens to criminals and criminals to seasoned criminals.
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They should be taught good and civilized manners to meet all classes of persons. They should not use threatening language in any circumstances.
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They will always wear clean uniform and look smart and alert with a smiling look and not look like Halakoo Khan.
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When issuing a challan or stopping a citizen for any type of checking, he will first salute him as he is a public servant.
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Every Police-man will be provided a bike by the government. He will be given washing allowance and shoe polish allowance. Every Policeman will be provided with his name and number sticker/plate.
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Uniform cloth should be of reasonably of good quality and its colour suitable for climate and attractive. He will be provided with protective eye glasses and masks to suit his surrounding of duty. He will also be supplied with a sleeping bag if deputed for 24 hours away from his house.
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There are plenty of fat people who can be great athletes. The IG should just be worried on whether or not they can pass the fitness guidelines and maybe what their BMI(body mass index) is.
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Police Stations and Posts should have a respectable and clean look with proper office furniture and computerised systems. Every Policeman should be computer literate. All Police record should be computerised.
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yes yes yes
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