Mexican city mulls paying police to lose weight

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The central Mexican city of Aguascalientes is considering paying a cash bonus to local police who slim down, amid the increasingly common sight of overweight officers in Mexico.

Aguascalientes city hall plans to decide next week on whether to pay 100 pesos (5 pounds) for every kilogram (2.2 pounds) that officers lose, a police spokesman said on Thursday.

"We do have some fat officers. We have been encouraging them for a while to lose weight, to be more agile, to do sport," he added.

Obesity is one of the biggest health problems in Mexico, where diabetes is the biggest killer and where sugary soft drinks and fatty hamburgers are increasingly becoming part of the national diet.

($1=10.78 pesos)

(Reporting by Tomas Sarmiento; Editing by Eric Walsh)