The Ministry is mulling introducing fitness tests on the lines of IPS officers and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs)
Increased tummy and bad fitness levels of cops on duty across the country are the things that the union home ministry wants to turn its gaze on. The Ministry is mulling introducing fitness tests on the lines of IPS officers and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs).
The idea, though still in a nascent stage, may be difficult to implement as police is a state subject. The Centre finds this idea worthy of taking up as the bad fitness level not only reflects badly on the state of affairs in police, it also affects the capabilities of the police personnel that has to perform tough duties like controlling law and order, catching criminals and carry encounters with dreaded criminals, sources said.
"At least there can be some sort of a guideline that states may choose to follow. These guidelines can be implemented with ease in centrally administered union territories," said a source adding that the recent example of dismissing two IPS officers and then reinstating them over full fitness has made the officers serious about their health and fitness.
The ministry recently reinstated two IPS officers – Kusum Punia, 2010 of Jharkhand cadre and Kumar Gautam, 2011 batch of West Bengal cadre – after they were dismissed for failing in fitness tests. Punia had not cleared the swimming test under IPS basic course at the police academy, while Gautam had failed in cross country test held last year.
Following their request, the union home ministry, decided to give them last chance to clear the test, which they did this year by qualifying all the required physical and medical tests. Another IPS officer of 2015 who failed in cross country test was served show cause note but was reinstated after clearing in his last attempt.
The ministry has again found two more IPS probationers of 2016 batch who failed the fitness test on Body Mass Index (BMI) and high sugar count. One had BMI count of 31.5 which is way above the healthy count of 25, while the other had high sugar count but is not diabetic.
"They have been served notice and are being given a second chance to prove. If such medical and fitness tests are made compulsory for all the police personnel, we would see a quantum jump in their capabilities as deserving cops," said the source.
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