Are Police Officers the Least Fit of the Three Security Forces?
The Belize Police Department closed its Police Week celebrations with a sports day that brought together officers from across the country as part of a wider effort to strengthen both the physical and mental well-being of the force.
Home Affairs CEO Rear Admiral Elton Bennett said the day’s events, which included football, basketball, cycling, volleyball, track and field, and dominoes, were designed to give officers a break from the daily grind of policing. “We found time today to set aside just to have fun,” Bennett told News 5.
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Police officers in Belize have long faced criticism as being the “most unfit” of the country’s security forces. In response to this, Bennet said that the department has already taken steps to address that perception, which includes the graduation of a cadre of physical training instructors now deployed nationwide. “Their mission and task is to ensure that the units and formations they’re assigned to maintain a strict physical routine, a physical programme,” Bennett explained.
He also acknowledged the other challenges of policing, noting that long and irregular shifts often limit officers’ access to proper meals and routine care, which becomes a factor that directly affects their fitness levels.
“These long shifts that these officers are required to work certainly puts them in a position where you can only have what is accessible to you at different times of the day,” Bennett said. “It’s definitely one of those jobs that does not adhere to the routine of time and meal hours.”
According to Bennett, the department is now deliberately incorporating nutrition support and mental health considerations into its wellness framework, alongside physical training.