Should overweight police officers be put on diets?
Enforcing the law is serious business and overweight officers may see their weight as a burden which hinders them from performing their day-to-day duties. Could a diet be the solution to their problems?
Ever taken a look at an overweight police officer and wondered how on earth he or she is going to catch a criminal?
I mean, in all honesty, sometimes being overweight is something that’s out of a person’s control, but when it could potentially affect their job, should they be taken off duty until they meet the required standards?
According to Daily Mail, police officers in the New York Police Department are apparently too overweight for their jobs and are dragging the force down, with some being so out of shape that their colleagues are concerned that they won't be able to give them back-up when required.
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This comes after a few chubby officers were seen on CCTV unable to catch a suspect who was on the run, even though he had been placed in cuffs.
However, we don't have to look that far to find overweight officers. I have seen posts on social media from many complaining about overweight officers in our very own police department.
It seems as if SAPS have taken notice of the wellness of law enforcement officers and have begun introducing wellness day events, with the most recent one taking place in Pretoria.
'The physical fitness and wellness day is an activity aimed at the well-being of members, encouraging them to lead a healthy lifestyle. Thus, to ensure members are always mentally and physically ready to execute their constitutional mandate,' SAPS said in a media statement.
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I caught up with Colonel A. Mathe, Spokesperson from SAPS National to learn more about what they are doing to help overweight officers. Take a listen to the interview in the podcast below:
But what more is needed to be done to ensure we have the police force required to protect us?
I'd love to hear from you: Do you think overweight police officers should be put on diets to ensure they are ready to serve properly?