‘Shape up or ship out’ policy: SPD policemen undergo fitness tests

Members of the Southern Police District (SPD) on Tuesday kicked off their week-long physical fitness check in line with the Philippine National Police (PNP) leadership’s “shape up or ship out” policy.

A total of 2,980 policemen from the cities of Taguig, Las Piñas, Makati, Parañaque, Muntinlupa and the municipality of Pateros took part in the battery of exams.

After being divided into groups based on their age, some policemen underwent a full physical check-up, including an ECG exam.

Some policemen aged 50 and above were made to go on a one-kilometer run but only after they were given the go-signal by doctors.

“Our doctor will determine if our examinees are fit to still run. It’s indicated in their file if there is clearance to ‘go’ or ‘no-go.’ We can’t let them run if it might worsen their health condition,” said Inspector Anowme Sia, chief of the SPD special training unit.

Meanwhile, police personnel aged 44 and below were required to do sit-ups, pull-ups on top of a five-kilometer run to test their strength, flexibility and quick response.

“This is a semestral exercise to find out if we have healthy men and women in the force,” said Sia.

He added that the results of Tuesday’s fitness examination reflected the results in previous years.

SPD medical officer Dr. Jacquiline Honrado reported that the top three medical problems among policemen were hypertension, diabetes and injuries due to job-related accidents.

“Most of our men are healthy but hypertension is the number one health concern. A lot of our policemen have heart problems, the physical kind,” Sia quipped.