The Andaman and Nicobar Police have some of the toughest police officers in the country, a problem that leaves their boss, Satyendra Garg, at a loss. The two heaviest police officers from Andaman and Nicobar Police weighed 146 kg and 104 kg, respectively, when all police were first measured to assess their fitness.
Garg, an IPS officer from 1987 on the AGMUT cadre, was posted to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands last December. As a former Joint Secretary of the Interior Ministry who also served in the Delhi Police Department, Garg enjoyed lower crime rates but soon faced a unique challenge when it emerged that Andaman Police were more overweight and obese than people in the United States USA islands that are the heaviest people in the whole country.
In January, the DGP conducted the first health survey of police officers in Union territory, including IPS officers and police of all ranks, which found that Andaman Police personnel were worse off than those on the Union in terms of health and obesity issues Civilians living on the island.
According to the Fifth National Health Survey, 45 percent of men and 38 percent of women in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands were overweight or obese.
“The NHS survey rang the alarm bells for me and I decided to do a health survey for the police. We expect the cops to be fitter, but the results have been alarming, ”Garg told THE WEEK.
He found that the police officers were worse off in all parameters compared to the civilian population.
For Garg, the low crime rate and dealing with a small police force of 4,600 gave him time to help the islands’ police officers.
Regular checkups, weight loss programs, health awareness and fitness programs are monitored by the police chief.
Every Saturday Garg meets for a consultation with the two police officers who have the worst body mass index of over 40. They lost a lot of weight and their health parameters improved. On the small islands, the duo have achieved prominent status for their weight loss success.
Soon, the Andaman Police will be the first to document and distribute their study of obesity and health problems for police officers to all police forces in the country.
As part of the study, the fitness level of the 4,600 Andaman police officers is to be documented; how they were tested on height, waist, breast ratio, BMI and other parameters and compared to the standard requirements for police officers entering the police force. “There was a big discrepancy. When the police came to the force, they were fitter, ”he said.
“We recently lost two police officers to heart attacks and cerebral haemorrhage, and both were overweight,” said Garg.
But the silver lining is that the two heaviest cops are an example to their colleagues in other police forces who might follow suit.
