Inspector-general Khalid Abu Bakar today warned the 11,000 obese police officers and men in the force that they will not be promoted if they fail their body mass index (BMI) test and health screening.

The police force has made it compulsory for members of the force to pass the health tests before they are promoted to a higher rank, and the condition applies to all officers and men, including him, Khalid said.

The measure is taken to ensure they are in good health and to prevent critical illnesses, such as diabetes and high blood pressure, he said.

"The director of Bukit Aman (Zulkifli Abdullah) took the measure to ensure the health of the officers and policemen.

"We found that many officers and men suffer from various diseases and that a high mortality rate is caused by diabetes and high blood pressure.

"Maybe the people can say (it doesn't apply to) me, because I am the IGP, but this (standard) applies to all," Khalid told reporters at a Asean Association of Chiefs of Police (Aseanpol) event in Kuala Lumpur today.

It has been reported that 11,000 officers and men out of 122,403 in the police force are obese and medical leave totalling 28,628 days were taken in 2015 - which meant an average of 656 officers and men were on sick leave, everyday.

Several countries have implemented the body mass index test and health screening to ensure the fitness of their security officers, Khalid said.

"We, as the management of Royal Malaysian Police, need to find a way for the sake of their families and for them to be made aware that they need to exercise and to stay fit," he added.