Programme director, Brigadier Lekubu
Chaplain Lieutenant Colonel Setshedi
Our host, Deputy Provincial Commissioner for the Directorate Priority Crime Investigation , Major General Mabula
MMC for Public Safety in Tlokwe City Council, Councillor Ina Stoltz
National Chairperson of Functional Fitness Organising Committee, Brigadier Van Der Westhuizen
SAPS National and Provincial Sports Organising Committees
Representatives of Assupol and Metropolitan Life
Provincial coaches, Caretakers and members of technical support teams
Members of provincial teams
Ladies and gentlemen
An unknown author in the poem The final Inspection succinctly captured the stressful work schedules, barriers and challenges that many of our police officers encounter in their working lives when he wrote this account of a police officer standing before God the creator:
"To my church have you been true?
The policeman squared his shoulders and said.
"No, I guess I ain't because those of us who carry a badge
can't always be a Saint."
I've had to work most Sundays
and at times my talk is rough,
and sometimes I've been violent,
because the streets are awfully tough.
But I never took a penny that wasn't mine to keep...
though I worked a lot of overtime when the bills got to steep.
And I never passed a cry for help
though at times I shook with fear,
and sometimes, God forgive me, I've wept unmanly tears.
I know I don't deserve a place among the people here.
They never wanted me around except to calm their fear.
If you've a place for me here, Lord, it needn't be so grand,
I never expected or had too much, but if you don't...I'll understand"
There was a silence all around the throne where the Saints had often trod.
As the policeman waited quietly for the judgment of his God.
"Step forward now, policeman.
You've borne you burdens well.
Come walk a beat on Heaven's streets.
You've done your time in Hell"
While I do not know whether all of you would meet the criterion used to allow the police officer into heaven, though I wouldn’t agree that you are in hell, I know that you all of you are faced with the same hostile environment, conditions and challenges that he faced. We trust that all of you are upholding the values that he upheld and are serving with the same level of commitment as he did.
As the police officer in the final inspection alluded, being a police officer is not only a high risk job, but also a very high stress one too. Outside of a demanding and irregular work schedule, home life can be affected, which also increases all-round stress.
While there is medical evidence that stress makes anyone’s senses dull,police officer areperhaps more viable to stress than anyone, as their adrenaline is always up and down.
Medical professionals have shown that routine exercise schedule reduces stress levels, lowers chances of getting sick, keeps you fresh throughout the day and can reduce chances of getting heart diseases. However, their advice is don’t stop at routine, at breaking a sweat, pump up the work rate, make it vigorous! The higher you maintain your heart rate, the more calories you burn.
Many aspects to the duties of a police officer require physical fitness. Foot chases and hand-to-hand fights with individuals resisting arrest are not entirely uncommon in the line of duty of our police officers and require speed and strength.
Foot and bicycle patrols also call for aerobic fitness. All these activities, I guess all of you would agree should be carried out much better and easier by healthy, fit officers, officers who are in good shape for the war against crime and not overweight.
Healthy and fit personnel will succumb to fewer stress injuries and log few sick days, leading to less under-staffing and safer work environment. Fit people also tend to have a better self-image and in the case of our officers this will translate to a more secure, more assertive character, which will help you in the performance of your duties.
Physical fitness is important for all our officers including those assigned to transport duty. In many cases criminals may rethink their impulse to run or fight when confronted with an officer who is clearly in better shape that they are. And should they attempt to escape as we have seen them trying during courts appearances, etc, the chances of recapture or restraint are much better.
Breaking up fights in progress is also much more successful when the officers have the strength and the stamina to separate the combatants hence this functional fitness championship is about speed, strength and endurance.
The weight of particularly our uniformed officers is always under close public scrutiny. Police officers are often made fun of because you can usually see one at a chiza nyama, pizza shop or a doughnut shop.
Officers who are involved in our adopt a cop campaign which is part of our school safety programme educate learners about drugs, gangsterism and engage with educators and learners regarding their safety concerns.
By participating in the Reetsa National Functional fitness Championship, our officers have demonstrated their determination to look the part as role models in both behavior and appearance.
We are encouraged that you are striving to look tough and agile to outrun and outmaneuver criminals on our streets and neighbourhoods for us to win the war against crime.
This Championship should sent a message to criminals that their parasitic days are numbered, our police are closing the gap between unfit and fit at a fast pace. They will wrestle and tackle criminals with the agility of a cheetah and the strength of an African elephant.
We wish to issue a precautionary warning to those police officers who have not yet started visiting the gym, eating fruits instead of fat cakes, pap and chisa nyama that very soon we’ll have no uniform for them to squeeze in.
Your health should become your first safety barometer and not your bullet proof vests, the gym and not the tavern, the treadmill and not the snooker table. Let’s go for the stairs and not the lifts for a healthier police service.
The 2010 Football World Cup, like this tournament has ended, but the spirit of unity and its legacy must live on and inspire us and the way we work. In our final inspection, we should all with our chests out be able to say, i ran, lifted and jumped to good health and have no excess backage to declare.
In conclusion, We trust that this championship like the previous ones we have had the honour to host as a province this year, including the 2010 Football World Cup has motivated all of us to strive towards the accomplishment of the old Latin concept “mens sana in corpora sano” that the Roman Poet, Juvenal spoke about in his poem Satire X.
We should pursue the objective of the concept with zeal and vigour to improve the overall personal health, well being and fitness level of all our police officers.
We hope that you all enjoyed the health and sporting experience in our province and will promote healthy lifestyles among those that who could not make it to this championship.
Ke a leboga.
