Keeping the blue line thin

Police officers struggling to pass a fitness test to stay on the thin blue line have been offered support from an unlikely source - weight loss business Jenny Craig.

Last week, the Otago Daily Times reported hundreds of officers would be taken off the front line and told not to interact with the public after failing to pass their physical competency test.

More than 360 officers had not passed the test and would not be ''operationally deployed'', Police National Headquarters deputy commissioner Mike Bush said.

Yesterday, Jenny Craig New Zealand and Australia managing director Amy Smith announced a complimentary programme for police who took up the offer.

She said the programme would help keep Kiwi cops on the beat, with support, a tailored eating plan and exercise recommendations.

Any officer who visited a Jenny Craig centre before March 31 and showed their identification, would receive the complimentary six-month programme. However, the cost of food was additional.