Move over, potbellied policemen. Bongaon police district authorities are making cops run and shed weight.
In Bongaon, North 24-Parganas, the police department's fitness initiative, FitCop, aims at fighting belly fat to better fight crime.
The programme was introduced last year after senior police officers noticed that several cops struggled to tighten their belts over their rotund tummies.
FitCop has in the past few months transformed several cops from paunchy to fighting fit, earning applause and cash prizes for their commitment to health and fitness.
Mithun Ghosh and Ramen Das, both constables in the Bongaon police district, earned rewards from DIG Barasat range Bhaskar Mukherjee earlier this month for shedding 13kg and 12kg, respectively.
Ghosh and Das, attached to the treasury and police lines in Bongaon town, respectively, showed rare perseverance in losing weight. For this, Ghosh was rewarded with ₹5,000 and Das ₹3,000.
Bongaon superintendent of police Dinesh Kumar, the architect of the FitCop programme, said: "Obese cops don't look smart, they aren't physically fit to serve effectively and become prone to multiple illnesses. Many struggle with high BMI (body mass index). So I launched this initiative to improve their health and efficiency."
BMI is a measurement of body fat based on a person's height and weight. Under FitCop, officers with high BMI took part in strict workout sessions, walking regimens and a medically supervised diet plan prescribed by dieticians from two leading private hospitals in Calcutta.
Ghosh and Das were among 220 police personnel, selected from seven police stations and other establishments under Bongaon police district, to embark on this fitness journey since November.
Out of the 220, around 50 cops remarkably trimmed their waistlines, losing anywhere between 3kg to 6kg a month.
Kumar conceived the FitCop programme last July. Officers with a BMI over 30 were enrolled, who underwent a medical evaluation before starting their fitness journey.
"Ideally, a BMI of 26 is good, but many officers here had a BMI of 30 or more, putting them at risk of hypertension and diabetes. We needed to act before it became a bigger problem," said Kumar.
Each participant got a structured diet plan and was asked to submit daily step counts via a WhatsApp group formed to track progress. The SP led by example, sharing his own step counts.
To keep motivation levels high, fitness kits including smartwatches and fitness bands were provided. Officers were encouraged to walk at least 10,000 steps a day, some clocking up to 14,000 steps daily.
A competition was introduced to reward top performers, and the results were impressive: 50 officers lost more than 5kg each, with Ghosh and Das emerging winners.
Obesity is common among police officers globally, with stress, erratic schedules, poor sleep and unhealthy eating habits.
In 2019, chief minister Mamata Banerjee, on seeing an overweight officer during a meeting in Madhyamgram, exclaimed: "Oh my God! How heavy are you?" More recently in north Bengal, she advised an obese officer to follow a fitness regime.
On Thursday, Kolkata police commissioner Manoj Verma expressed displeasure at overweight cops at the annual police sports meet, urging them to commit to at least two hours of rigorous exercise daily.
