Our police officers are overweight and I really do feel for them.
We all know how difficult it can be to lose weight, get healthy and stay healthy.
Just the basic foodstuffs are already pricey to begin with and healthy alternatives can easily break a household’s budget. And let’s face it, our ladies and boys in blue are not at the top tier of the income ladder.
Add to the fact that they often work long hours, in highly-stressed environments, and it’s easy to see why many of them pack on the potbellies very quickly.
After all, stress has been shown to have a huge effect on the body’s stubborn ability to retain belly fat.
And considering South Africa’s spiralling crime, being a police officer is probably the most stressful job at the moment.
But the truth is, we do have an expectation that our cops at least be able to run up a flight of stairs without huffing and puffing.
So I was very pleased to hear that SAPS management have signed a deal with two gym companies to give cops a 20 percent discount when they sign up.
Besides the benefits to their own physical and mental health, it will definitely benefit SA when cops not only look the part, but are also able to chase after fleet-footed tsotsis, who are almost always lean and fast.
The problem is they still have to pay the difference and considering the state of SA’s economy at the moment, I’m afraid gym membership is simply not a budget priority, when we can barely afford chicken and eggs.
This may be seen as a soft issue, but it’s actually a lot more important than it appears and I think government and the gyms should do more.
Just seeing well-built and fit-looking cops would instil much confidence in a population that is paralysed by ruthless criminals, who can often simply just run away.