BEIJING: The number of cases related to firearms and explosives reached a record low last year, but supervision will still be tightened due to the growing trend of online purchases and smuggling of such items, the Ministry of Public Security said.
Due to an ongoing crackdown, the number of firearms and explosives cases has witnessed a significant decrease in recent years, making China one of the countries globally with the lowest level of such crimes, said Qi Xiguo, deputy director of the ministry’s Public Security Administration Bureau, on Tuesday.
To maintain strict control over firearms and explosives, the ministry and other departments jointly launched a three-year special operation in June.
Qi said that the operation got off to a good start and is proceeding smoothly. Since the beginning of the year, the number of firearms and explosives crimes has dropped 16 percent year-on-year.
Police have resolved 13,000 such cases nationwide and detained 14,000 suspects, the ministry said. Public security departments have focused on three key areas of firearms and explosives crime: domestic manufacturing and trafficking, online trafficking, and overseas smuggling. They have strengthened intelligence-sharing and stepped up the pursuit of fugitives, Qi said. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
