Cops need better work-life balance

One would expect policemen, and policewomen, to be physically fit, given the nature of their responsibilities as well as the image of the ram-rod straight cop well turned-out in uniform that the word ‘police’ evokes in people’s minds.

But a fitness test of Bengaluru’s police force has found that 87 per cent of police personnel are either overweight or underweight. Of the city’s 18,665 police personnel, 7,500 are reported to be obese, 3,746 overweight, and some 5,000 are underweight.

In other words, only 2,369 police personnel, or 13 per cent of the force, is in the range of physical fitness on the weight/BMI (Body Mass Index) parameter. This raises questions about their stamina to police a vast city like Bengaluru with its burgeoning human and vehicular population.

Police Commissioner B Dayananda attributes this lack of fitness among most of his personnel to erratic working hours, flawed eating patterns, extreme stress and poor lifestyles. Also, the police department is understaffed, with an estimated vacancy of 15-20 per cent in the law and order department alone, which adds to the burdens of the existing personnel.

The pressures under which they work and the lack of work-life balance cause psychological issues, which in turn lead to physiological problems. In the absence of fixed work timings, personnel develop erratic food habits and are also sleep-deprived. Crime investigations impact the  mental health of police personnel, but many of them do not undergo counselling.

While on the one hand, work exigencies may not permit them to live disciplined lifestyles in terms of food, sleep and exercise, work-related stress push many to smoking and alcohol, aggravating their physical and mental health conditions.

The physical fitness of cops has been a subject of debate across India for decades now, but nothing concrete appears to have been done to seriously address the problem.

Last year, the Assam government passed an order that obese officers would be forced to take voluntary retirement if they failed to get back to shape within six months. Such a penal approach is insensitive and unwarranted given that obesity and other physical conditions of police personnel are an occupational hazard, given the harsh working conditions of the police force. 

The Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) had launched a novel exercise and diet regimen in 2021 with surprising results – more than 1,000 personnel moved from flab to fit in two months. The city police should study the KSRP experiment and perhaps replicate it.

Most importantly, there is a need to not only fill up existing vacancies but also expand the police force, taking into account Bengaluru’s expansion so that police personnel may have a better work-life balance. The overall working conditions of the police need to be improved through multiple initiatives.