FAISALABAD, July 7: The police have launched an ambitious drive to make their force physically fit by complying with the weight specifications.
The overweight officials are seen making frantic efforts to improve their fitness as waists and weights from inspectors to constables are being monitored by the teams constituted by IG Haji Habibur Rehman. A letter (3846) titled “Reforms regarding efficient performance of police personnel/officers” was dispatched to the RPOs, CPOs and DPOs on June 26.
The city police officers and the divisional police officers across Punjab are supervising the committees. The IG has directed the heads of the districts to point out the policemen having waist of 40 inches and above.
After conducting the weight-measurement exercise, heads will dispatch their reports to the IG to decide the fate of the overweight policemen.
A sub-inspector told Dawn on the request of anonymity that the department heads were doing their best to please the IG on the pretext of the campaign. He said sports activities had been arranged at the Police Lines to achieve the target of 38-inch waist of every policeman.
The Faisalabad police have planned activities like football, kabbadi and hockey and overweight policemen have been bound to join such activities from 6am to 7am and 6pm to 7pm daily.
So far 12 officials of Thekriwala police, 10 of Sargodha Road police, 15 of Samanabad police, two of Rashidabad police post, six each of Razaabad police and Kaleem Shaheed Colony police posts, 18 of People’s Colony police, nine of Nishatabad police, six ofMillat Town police, eight of Mansoorabad police, 22 of Madina Town police, three of Gulfishan Colony post, 30 of Ghulam Mohammad Abad police, nine of Factory Area police, 24 of D-Type Colony police and 11 of Batala Colony police have beenfound overweight.
A number of policemen are also seen walking/jogging at the Jinnah Park; some of them come in their civvies and a few in uniforms.
A constable remarked: “Nowadays the police focus is on controlling weight and improving waistlines instead of the primary duty of arresting crime.” He alleged that a number of policemen managed to stay away from the official lists of ‘delinquent’policemen by using their influence.