2010 World Cup
Cops to be 'slim and trim' for Cup
2010-05-18 20:05
Cape Town - Police officers will be "slim and trim" for the World Cup, MPs heard in Parliament on Tuesday.
Major-General Robbie Roberts told the joint public hearing on 2010 preparations that officers from senior management down were on fitness and Weigh-Less programmes and were "losing weight" in the run-up to the tournament.
"We are putting focus on the fitness of our members," Roberts said.
"(National police commissioner General Bheki Cele) started off a fitness programme not only for members on the ground level, but also the senior management. Everybody participates.
"In the Western Cape, we have 40 senior managers currently on a four-week training programme. Fitness and Weigh-Less. They are losing weight on this programme.
Roberts said all police members were trained in crowd control, which included a fitness programme.
"They are called up once a week to form part of the fitness exercises regarding crowd control," he said.
"I can give you an assurance that we are working to getting our policemen slim and trim."
MP Elizabeth Thabethe had asked Roberts about overweight policemen after witnessing three quarters of them struggling through a practice drill at Cape Town Stadium.
"The General (Cele) was worried that the police were overweight," she said.
"In Cape Town they were practising as we were viewing the stadium. Three-quarters of them were overweight.
"How are you doing with that programme, because surely they must be able to run if there is an emergency and not be blocked by their weight."
