A police chief on an Indian island tried to impose a health program on policemen to lose weight, as he believed that if the commander monitored his officers' weight, they could maintain it, and maintain their physical fitness.
In her article published by the American newspaper "New York Times", writer Suhasini Rag said that for Chitra, an officer in the Indian police force, the responsibilities that fell on her shoulders made her lead an unhealthy lifestyle, as irregular working hours became a source The stress, standing guard for long periods of time hurt her knees, and the fact that taking care of her young son late at night and getting up at 4:30 a.m. to do housework left her in a constant state of fatigue.
Police officers overweight
The writer shows that India - a country that was historically undernourished - has an overweight population, and police officers are no exception, but in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands territory - where Chitra serves - the police declared creamy curries, oily meats and carbohydrates their number one enemy. Therefore, the authorities called on the officers to adopt healthy habits and exercise.
The writer reveals that the pressure has extended beyond these remote islands, which a government health survey found to be one of the areas where the majority of the population suffers almost from overweight in India, in order to produce healthier officers.
In the northern state of Punjab, a court prevented overweight policemen from launching raids on smugglers and drug sellers because they would not be able to run fast enough to arrest them.
The writer states that the veteran officer, Satyendra Garg, who is behind the campaign, hopes to make it a model for provinces across the country.
Adopting a healthy lifestyle and strict discipline are essential to security, Garg believes (Shutterstock)
The writer explains that instead of eating street snacks like fried bread filled with fat and samosas while working, Officer Chitra is packing some healthy foods like dates and cucumbers.
"It's a beautiful place by the sea. Why should people be so unhealthy and fat here?" Garg says, describing the natural treasure islands of India with their sparkling lakes and hundreds of rare bird species. When he took over as chief of police in Andaman and Nicobar in 2020, he enacted a zero-tolerance policy for corrupt officials and fired absent and heavy drinking officers.
Soldiers' weight and height
Garg sought - according to the writer - to measure the weight-to-height ratios of all 4304 soldiers deployed, and as a result he discovered that approximately 50% are either overweight or obese.
Initially, he intended to provide personal advice to hundreds of obese officers, and pass on what he had learned from health sciences when he was suffering from liver disease, but had to abandon that plan due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, and instead decided to impose a health plan On two obese officers hoping their weight loss journey will inspire the rest.
It was believed that a commander who monitored the weight of his officers would keep his men in good shape.
So Garg began the healthy transition of Johnny Watson, 34, an officer in Port Blair, who a year earlier weighed 231 pounds (105 kilograms), was having trouble sitting in Indian-style toilets and couldn't run fast enough to catch poachers hunting deer. He currently weighs 189 pounds (86 kilograms).
By following an eating pattern, he managed to adjust his blood pressure and reduce the size of his waist by 4 inches, his friends stopped calling him "baby elephant" and instead asked him for tips to help them lose weight.
The intense work regime was forcing Watson to eat samosas and stay away from the diet recommended by Garg (Shutterstock)
Intensive work system!
The writer notes that the intense work regime was forcing Watson to eat samosas and stay away from the diet recommended by Police Chief Garg.
That's why his boss urged him to increase his intake of healthy fats and eat dinner at least five hours before bed. Watson says he struggled to stop eating sweets but eventually succeeded.
The writer stresses that Indian officers work an average of 14 hours a day, and surveys have found that the vast majority of officers believe that the burden of long working hours affects their physical and mental health.
Garg is collecting enough data so that policy makers can develop a program for police stations across India, and according to Chaetra, the police chief's initiative was the first of its kind to pay attention to the health of officers.