Заң шығарушы органдардың тәртіп сақшысы

Officer appointed by a legislature to keep order

A serjeant at arms or sergeant at arms is an officer appointed by a deliberative body, usually a legislature, to keep order during its meetings. The word "serjeant" is derived from the Latin serviens, which means "servant". Historically, serjeants at arms were armed men retained by English lords and monarchs, and the ceremonial maces which they are associated with were originally a type of weapon.

The term "sergeant" can be given two main definitions: the first is a military rank; the other is a governmental role. Whereas technically the two roles were not mutually exclusive, they were very different in roles and duties. The soldier sergeant was a man of what would now be thought of as the 'middle class', fulfilling a junior role to the knight in the medieval hierarchy. Sergeants could fight either as heavy to light cavalry, or as well trained professional infantry, either spearmen or crossbowmen. Most notable medieval mercenaries fell into the 'sergeant' class, such as Flemish crossbowmen and spearmen, who were seen as reliable quality troops. The sergeant class were deemed to be 'worth half of a knight' in military value. The office originated in medieval England to serve the sovereign in a police role, much like a bailiff in more recent times. Indeed, the sergeants at arms constitute the oldest royal bodyguard in England, dating from the time of King Richard I (around 1189) as a formed body. The title "sergeant at arms" appears during the crusades during the reign of King Philip II of France in 1192. The sergeant at arms was a personal attendant upon the king, specially charged with arresting those suspected of treason. Richard I had 24 with him on the Crusades. They were formed into a twenty strong Corps of Sergeants at Arms by King Edward I in 1278, as a mounted close escort. In 1399 King Richard II limited the corps to thirty sergeants, and King Charles II had sixteen. The number was reduced to eight in 1685 and since then it has gradually declined. The original responsibilities of the sergeant at arms included "collecting loans and, impressing men and ships, serving on local administration and in all sorts of ways interfering with local administration and justice." Around 1415, the British House of Commons received its first sergeant at arms. From that time onwards the sergeant has been a royal appointment, the sergeant being one of the sovereign's sergeants at arms. The House of Lords has a similar officer. The formal role of a sergeant at arms in modern legislative bodies is to keep order during meetings, and, if necessary, forcibly remove any members or guests who are overly rowdy or disruptive. A sergeant at arms may thus be a retired soldier, police officer, or other official with experience in law enforcement and security. The Sergeant at Arms of the House of Commons has general charge of certain administrative and custodial functions, as well as security within the chamber of the House.

The Australian House of Representatives operates under the Westminster parliamentary system. The serjeant at arms is a career officer of the Department of the House of Representatives. The ceremonial duties are as the custodian of the mace, the symbol of the authority of the Crown and the House, and as the messenger for formal messages from the House to the Senate.

The sergeant at arms is the senior official of the House of Commons of Canada. In this role, the sergeant at arms is responsible for the building services and security of the House of Commons, and is appointed by the governor general acting on the advice of the federal cabinet. The sergeant at arms carries the mace, the symbol of the authority of the Crown, in the daily parade into the House of Commons chamber. Provincial legislative assemblies, houses of assembly, national assemblies, and provincial parliaments (the nomenclature for legislatures varying between provinces) also employ sergeants at arms. René Jalbert, sergeant at arms of the National Assembly of Quebec, ended Denis Lortie's killing spree in the Quebec Parliament Building on 8 May 1984 by constituting himself hostage and negotiating with the shooter for four hours. During the 2014 shootings at Parliament Hill, Ottawa, the then sergeant at arms of the House of Commons, Kevin M. Vickers, assisted RCMP officers in engaging the gunman. Reports show that Sergeant at Arms Vickers, alongside RCMP Constable Curtis Barrett, shot and killed the gunman who had gained access to the Centre Block of the Canadian Parliament buildings.

In addition to the president pro tempore, the Senate of Liberia elects a secretary of the Senate, assistant secretary of the Senate and a sergeant at arms as officers of the Senate, though these positions are not held by sitting senators.

The Parliament of Singapore operates under the Westminster parliamentary system. The serjeant at arms is an officer of the parliament as defined in section 2 of the Parliament (Privileges, Immunities and Powers) Act 1962 (PPIP Act). The serjeant at arms is also an officer of the Security department who assist the Security Director in security matters of the Parliament matters and may be drawn from ex police officers or ex army personnel. The Sergeant bears the authority of the Speaker of Parliament. The ceremonial duties of the Serjeant includes the custodian of the mace and leading the Mace and the Speaker into the Parliament at the commencement of each Parliament sitting. The serjeant will place the mace at the stand on the table to signify that the parliament is in sitting. The administrative duties of the Serjeant at Arms include access control into the Parliament House and managing the security and admissions of all staff and visitors. The serjeant may also in accordance with sections 27 and 28 of the PPIP Act, and upon the Speaker’s authority, ensure that the person(s) responsible for the disturbances are removed from the premises of Parliament House.

The serjeant at arms is a member of the parliamentary staff who acts as the official guardian of the mace, a decorated rod which is the symbol of the authority of the Parliament of South Africa. The mace must be in position in the National Assembly chamber during a plenary sitting. The serjeant at arms is also responsible for maintaining the attendance register of the members of House members. They must also maintain order in the House and remove people from the House as ordered by the speaker. According to the National Assembly Rules, "the Serjeant at Arms shall remove, or cause to be removed, any stranger from any part of a Chamber which has been set apart for members only, and also any stranger who, having been admitted into any other part of the Chamber, misconducts himself or herself or does not withdraw when strangers are ordered to withdraw." The serjeant at arms is attired in a black tailcoat, waistcoat, starched white shirt, bow tie, and white gloves. The current serjeant at arms is Regina Mhlomi, who succeeded Godfrey Cleinwerck. The usher of the black rod is Vincent Shabalala, whose duty it is to escort the presiding officers of the National Council of Provinces into its chamber.

The Parliament of Sri Lanka was established in the form of the Westminster parliamentary system. The serjeant at arms is appointed by the secretary general of Parliament and is responsible for all ceremonial occasions as the master of ceremonies in Parliament, preservation of order, custody of the mace, security, admission of visitors, allocation of accommodation within the House and supervision of galleries. Assisting the serjeant at arms in his duties would be the deputy serjeant at arms and the assistant serjeant at arms. Responsible for security, by tradition he is the only officer authorized to carry a weapon (ceremonial sword) inside the Parliament building and is assisted by the Parliament Police Division. Ronnie Abeysinghe was the longest serving serjeant at arms in the history of Sri Lanka. He held the position from 1970 to 1996. The current serjeant at arms is Anil P. Samarasekara. The equivalent officer for the House of Lords is the Lady (Gentleman) Usher of the Black Rod) (also known simply as Black Rod); there was formerly a separate serjeant at arms of the House of Lords, but the two appointments were merged in 1971 (since when the mace has routinely been carried by Black Rod's deputy, the Yeoman Usher).

In addition to the above mentioned officers there are other serjeants at arms who attend the sovereign on state occasions, a remnant of the body established by Richard I (though today their role is purely ceremonial). Usually, members of the Royal Household who serve as serjeants at arms have had the office bestowed on them as a mark of distinction for long and meritorious service.

The two houses of the United States Congress maintain the position of sergeant at arms. The sergeants are charged with the maintenance of order on the floor of the chamber (in the House, he may "display" the mace in front of an unruly member as an admonition to behave); they serve with the Architect of the Capitol on the commission that oversees the United States Capitol Police and security for the Congress, and they serve a variety of other functional and ceremonial roles.

Other bodies—from state and local legislative houses (city councils, county legislatures and the like) to civic and social organizations—have created posts of sergeants at arms, primarily to enforce order at the direction of the chair and to assist in practical details of organizing meetings. Other duties may include the greeting of visitors or providing security. The sergeant at arms may be in charge of the organization's property. The title is also used in criminal motorcycle clubs like Hells Angels. In large organizations, the sergeant at arms may have assistants. A law enforcement officer may serve in the role of sergeant at arms or it may be a paid (or unpaid), permanent position in the organization.