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The Portfolio Committee on Police, together with the Portfolio Committee on Public Works gave the management of the South African Police Service (SAPS) and Department of Public Works (DPW) 14 days to come up with solutions to the current challenges that are security thread to the national legislature.

This after the committees were briefed on Wednesday on matters related to roles and responsibilities as well as safety and security in Parliament, following a tragic incident, in which a senior staff member short himself dead in office on 14 September 2018.

The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Police, Mr Francois Beukman, said that interim solutions are required urgently to address the immediate challenges of defunct metal detector scanners and security cameras within the precinct of Parliament.

The committees encouraged Parliament to conduct benchmarking exercise from Parliaments of other countries with regards to safety and security.

They also called on all Members of Parliament and senior staff to comply with the safety prescripts, and that Parliament should take the lead in establishing a stakeholder committee that will meet regularly to discuss safety issues,” said Mr Beukman.

Lastly, the committees will invite the Joint Standing Committee on the Financial Management of Parliament, in the next meeting.

Issued by The Parliamentary Communication Services on behalf of The Chairperson of The Portfolio Committee on Police, Mr Francois Beukman