Earlier this week, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah advised the police to stay fit, lead disciplined lives and not end up with a pot belly.
Apart from sheepish looks, this piece of well-meaning advice raised the question of fitness and, more importantly, the need for ‘chiselled bodies’. One officer said, “Looks don’t matter, it’s what you do that counts.”
Another said that while everyone wants to be fit, it’s not always feasible given their long working hours and lifestyle.
“After a long day, we crave a good night’s sleep of eight hours. Exercise and undisturbed sleep are luxuries,” a constable said.
Many pointed out that some members of the Karnataka State Reserve Police team that cycled across the State too had a pot belly. “This idea of the police having muscular bodies has come from films. Many pot-bellied officers have cracked the most complicated cases sitting at their desk,” said an officer.
They argued that the nature of crime has changed and that to crack the increasing number of white-collar crime, they needed skills beyond physical exercise. “This does not mean that we are against the idea of keeping fit. It’s just that circumstances are not favourable,” another officer said.
He added that every police station has a team of physically fit personnel to fall back on, but the primary job of the police officer was to crack cases, with or without a belly.
