Battle of the bulge: Malaysia’s police chief orders officers to lose excess body fat

Malaysia’s police chief on Thursday ordered all personnel to shed excess body fat if they want to be considered for promotion, in the latest attempt at tackling the weighty issue in the force.

Starting this year, all police personnel will be required to maintain a body mass index (BMI) of below 28 as part of the conditions to gain a higher rank, Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Razarudin Husain said.

“This initiative is important to ensure the health and capabilities of our police officers, towards providing the best delivery of service to the public and country,” Razarudin said at an event on Thursday.

The revamped promotion process also requires officers to complete an online course and a competency test to tackle allegations of preferential treatment and ensure successful candidates are “competent and qualified”.

The body mass index is a tool used by healthcare providers around the world to estimate the amount of body fat based on an individual’s height and weight.

Malaysia follows the World Health Organization’s (WHO) measure of BMI, which ranks individuals with an index score of between 25 and 29.9 as overweight and anything at 30 or more as obese.

Razarudin’s announcement drew a mixed response on Malaysian social media. Most supported efforts to encourage police officers to adopt a healthy lifestyle but also raised questions about whether the new measures would be effective.