Winnipeg police want workout time

Winnipeg police officers are asking for 40 minutes of daily gym time during their shifts to keep pace with criminals, who are increasingly emerging from jail more fit and muscular than ever before.

Mike Sutherland, president of the Winnipeg Police Association, says many officers work out on their own time to prepare themselves for their job. He believes they should also be given scheduled time to do so while on the clock, as officers in Calgary are allowed to do.

However, the Winnipeg Police Service has so far refused the request, Sutherland said.

"We're not asking for a free ride here, but if the city would meet us sort of halfway," he said. "Maybe a good workout would take you maybe 40 minutes to an hour.  We're saying we'll give half the time — 20 minutes or half an hour — and [the officers] donate the other half [in unpaid time].

'[Offenders] come out well-fed, well-muscled and maybe not all that well reintegrated' — Mike Sutherland, Winnipeg Police Association president

"You could stagger it so that you know [patrol officers from] each cruiser car would be allotted a specific amount of time to get a workout in throughout the shift," Sutherland added. "That way, you still have the coverage [on the street]."

Police have noticed that many offenders while in jail do "nothing but train for three or four hours every day … so that they're prepared to take on police officers when they're released from custody," Sutherland said.

"[Then they] come out well-fed, well-muscled and maybe not all that well reintegrated."

Happy, healthy officers priceless

Sutherland believes on-duty workouts would also help reduce injuries and sick leave.

Paying officers to work out is worth the cost, said acting Supt. Richard Hinse of the Calgary Police Service.

"Healthy employees and happy employees … equates to morale, too, and that's not something you can put a dollar sign on," Hinse said.

"We're committed to health and wellness, committed to fitness. We want our officers to be fit, they want to be fit and the community wants us fit," Hinse added.

Sutherland said he would like to see a pilot project put in place to test that theory while helping officers become physically stronger for the challenges they face.

A spokesperson for the Winnipeg Police Service said the force does what it can to help keep its officers in good physical shape, noting that each police station in the city is equipped with a gym and is open 24 hours a day for officers to use.