Cops flex muscles at new police gym

Coimbatore: Newton Sagayaraj, a police constable with the armed reserve police of the city police department, was a happy man on Monday after city police commissioner A Amalraj inaugurated a gymnasium for police personnel at the Police Recruitment School grounds.

Newton had been worried about weight gain and wanted to get into a fitness regime. "We hardly get the time to go to a gym. Also, it is expensive. Now, I can exercise whenever I am free and remain fit. I have set up some goals for myself and will stick to them," he told TOI.

Inspector of armed reserve police M Ravichander said there were nearly 600 families staying in the residential quarters at PRS grounds. "In a few weeks' time, 200 women trainees will join the department. This facility would benefit them and other trainees, who come here," he said.

The police commissioner said a room with two fitness equipment was already there at the grounds. "But it was not maintained. So we decided to renovate it and bought state-of-the-art equipment. We have also set up separate changing and showering rooms for men and women," he said.

R Shankar, an armed reserve police personnel, will be in-charge of the gym's maintenance. Many policemen had asked him about the facility even when the construction was going on, Shankar said. "It took a month to get it ready and nearly Rs 3 lakh-worth equipment have been bought. This is a great facility and even those who have stopped exercising will definitely come forward and use it now as they don't have to pay," he said.

There are 998 armed reserve police personnel in the city and 500 in the rural police. "Apart from that, there are thousands of policemen in the city who will benefit from the gymnasium," Ravichander added.