Botswana Police Service (BPS) spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner Christopher Mbulawa, has said the National Assembly is secure and not under any security threat.
Mbulawa said this after it was discovered a day before the national speaker was endorsed by parliament that one of the doors at the parliamentary chamber was damaged by unknown people.
He said after thorough inspection, Police determined that one of the hinges of a door leading to the Parliamentary Chambers had been slightly damaged, hinting at a possible break in.
“Last week we received a report from Parliament alleging that one of the Parliamentary Chamber doors had been damaged,” Mbulawa said. He explained that the Police details were assigned to investigate what might have caused the damage. “We strongly believe there was no forced entry from any intruder into the Chamber. But we suspect that one of the employees within the employ of Parliament unknowingly damaged the hinge when entering the Chamber.”
He stated that there was no report of anything missing or stolen and ruled out the possibility of foul play.
“We call upon the patriotism of any employee who remembers or was responsible for the broken hinge to own up so as to close the case,” Mbulawa urged.
He indicated that on the particular day when it was discovered that the door was damaged, there were renovation activities taking place within parliament.
Mbulawa assured the public that Law Enforcement officers deployed at Parliament are a deterrent to any criminal intentions. The premises are secure and there have not been any threat in BPS’s history. Contacted for comment, the Parliamentary Head of Security Captain Boitumelo France said he was not aware of the breakage to the door leading to the Chamber.
