Who is worse…FAT cop or BENT cop?

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In Malaysia, the debate about fat policemen crops-up almost every year.

Are policemen overworked to obesity?

One police inspector, who is in his thirties, and based in Sarawak, took umbrage at being called fat. He said, “We’re overworked to obesity.” He alleges that he and his peers have a busy routine, have insufficient rest, and therefore cannot adhere to a balanced diet.

In January 2016, Bukit Aman’s Director of Management, Zulkifli Abdullah, launched a pilot weight-loss programme called “Trim N Fit 2016”, in which 35 overweight policemen was subjected to rigorous training and diet, for six months.

He warned overweight policemen that they would not be promoted, if they did not lose weight after taking part in the programme, whilst new recruits would not be confirmed.

PDRM’s  ‘Trim N Fit’ programme was launched and Zulkifli proudly announced , “We are starting with 35 personnel and officers, including myself, from my department first.”

File pic from net

History of fat

In 2009, a BBC report claimed that only a third of those who wanted to join the police, could be accepted. The rest were rejected, because they were too fat.

In 2012, the erstwhile IGP, Ismail Omar, warned his force about the dangers of diabetes and heart problems among policemen and said that these would lead to higher medicare costs, a bad image and a less productive workforce.

In 2014, Utusan Malaysia wrote that the Bukit Aman-based police management department director Mohamad Fuzi Harun, warned fat policemen that they would not be tolerated.

In 2015, it cost the force RM8.8 million, when 28,628 policemen took 239,591 days of medical leave.

In 2016, it was claimed that there were around 11,000 obese policemen and that in 2015, 250 policemen died from illnesses related to obesity, such as heart disease or diabetes.  

At the same time, Senator Norliza Abdul Rahim had been warned by a former army doctor about fat policemen and obese soldiers dying from heart disease. Such was her concern that she urged the police and the army, to compel policemen to have regular physical examinations, to get and stay fit. 

Who do you think is worse, fat cop or bent cop?

 It is over a year since we checked on the progress of the “Trim-N-Fit” programme. It must have been successful as it will be fully enforced in January 2018? Why 2018? Why not now?

Did Malaysia’s Top Cop, the soon to retire IGP, also take part in this rigorous ‘Trim N Fit’ programme. He has been exhausted chasing tweets from Opposition politicians and cartoonists.
 
Has the PDRM been rendered down?
 
Once social observer said, “We’ve all met a fat policeman, at some point in our lives. We sometimes see one sitting in his patrol car eating his tapau (packed food), or arriving at a crime scene, gasping for breath, because he had to walk a few steps up a staircase.

“Fat cops are not desirable, but we can live with them. The worse sort are the bent cops. They pose a greater threat, not just to our well-being, but also to Malaysia.”

Photo credits: Utusan, Star and Bernama

 

Rebuilding Malaysia

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