BMI test for Assam police personnel begins

Guwahati: The Assam Police on Wednesday started digitised Body Mass Index (BMI) test of all police personnel with the Director General of Police, GP Singh, taking the test first.

''On the directions of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, we have taken a pledge to make Assam Police a more healthier and fitter unit and as part of it, the first call will be to check the BMI," the DGP told reporters here.

The DGP with a BMI of 25 successfully passed the test.

"On May 16, we had decided that after three months, we will start the BMI analysis of all serving police personnel," he said.

As part of that, we collected data of over 67,000 police personnel and started the BMI exercise at 36 locations in the state where they will be tested, he said.

In the second phase, all cops who fall in the obese category (above 30 BMI) will be advised to come to the Police Training College at Dergaon where with support from government doctors, nutritionists and depending upon the requirement, they will be kept for up to three months to bring the BMI below 30.

"We have also decided that by next year, we will have a target of BMI 28 and also prepare a database of blood sugar and blood pressure of the cops," Singh said.

When the entire database is collected, necessary medical interventions will be taken and the state government has agreed to provide all possible support in this direction, the DGP added.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma during a meeting with senior police officials had “strongly advocated for removing the 'dead wood' from the police force - habitual drinkers, those with extreme obesity and with charges of corruption against them - to turn the force into a responsive and action-oriented one''.