Indonesian City Targets Pot-Bellied Police

Overweight policemen in an Indonesian city have been ordered to join an exercise program as many of them are currently too slow to catch fleeing criminals.

"The pot-bellied police run too slow," Wahyu Widada, police chief of Tangerang, near the capital Jakarta, told AFP.

Around 130 officers deemed excessively overweight out of the 1,473-strong force will undertake compulsory physical exercise three times a week for a total of four-and-a-half hours.

The exercise program includes aerobics and running, he said.

"Once they reach their ideal body weight, they are free to walk out of the program," said Widada.

He also warned the officers would have to watch their diet: "Exercise means nothing if they continue to consume greasy food at home."