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Legislator makes a case for healthier, leaner police force

A Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator yesterday urged the National Police Agency (NPA) to come up with a weight-loss program for overweight police officers.

In a statement, DPP Legislator Hsueh Ling (薛凌) said that helping obese policemen lose weight would help the officers carry out their duties more efficiently.

Hsueh said she had heard that some police officers had been unable to meet the administration's latest physical strength test.

The test requires all police officers to run 3km within a certain time, but many officers allegedly failed the test because they were too fat, Hsueh said, without providing statistics.

"If the performance of police officers is affected by their weight, the NPA should definitely map out a set of strategies to help them lose a few kilos," she said.

Hsueh said the NPA's standard for policemen was lower than that used by the military for its personnel.

Police officers in their 50s have to complete the 3km run within 14 minutes, while military officers belonging to the same age group have to complete the test within 12 minutes 30 seconds, she said.

"I can understand how exhausted police officers, who are on patrol day and night and who do not have a more regular daily schedule like that of military officers, must be. Be that as it may, some policemen refuse to exercise and their physical condition is proof of that," she said.

"This not only harms their public image but also prevents them from arresting criminals," she said, urging the NPA to also produce a list of obese police officers around the country and require them to embark upon a weight loss plan.
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