Tanzania’s Interior minister orders pot-bellied traffic police officers be assigned ‘other duties’

Tanzania Interior Minister George Boniface Taguluvala Simbachawene has instructed the country’s Inspector General of police Simon Sirro to re-assign pot-bellied traffic police officers  ‘other duties’.

The Minister observed that the officers were being moved as they were no ‘longer qualified to be on the road’.

He was speaking at a Road Safety Symposium held in Dodoma organised by the Civil Society Organizations that promotes the amendment of the Road Safety Act of 1973.

“There are officers working in our traffic department who need to be moved as they no longer qualify, officers in Gairo are pot-bellied, how can you have a pot-belly and you are a traffic officer, I direct the IGP to re-assign these officers to other duties,” he said.

At the same time, he warned traffic police officers who have been accused of soliciting for bribes from motorists saying the law would catch up with them soon.

In 2018, Pakistan made the news after a police commander Habibur Rehman ordered all pot-bellied traffic police officers “to go on a diet immediately.”

Those who were not willing to go on a weight-loss dieting regimen were warned they would be moved from frontline duties.

The police boss in Pakistan’s most populous province Punjab, ordered 175,000 personnel not to allow their waistlines to exceed 38 inches (96 cm).

“Overweight officers are ineffective and “cannot chase bandits, robbers and other criminals properly”, he said.

At least 50% of the Pakistan police were said to be overweight. Those deemed to be “too fat” were given 2 months to shape up or leave the frontline.