The Public Security Police (PSP) has destroyed 303,208 confiscated weapons in the last ten years, and in the first operation carried out this year, 8,317 weapons were destroyed at a specialized company in Maia, Porto, police reported on Wednesday.
Under the theme “No weapon destroyed can be used to kill, injure or intimidate,” PSP joined a global effort to destroy seized weapons on Tuesday involving several United Nations agencies around the world.
Between 2013 and 2024, PSP destroyed more than 303,000 weapons in Portugal, thus contributing to the link with programmes developed by the UN related to the control of illicit trafficking in firearms, the control of violence and crime committed by young people with firearms, and the promotion of the rule of law by encouraging voluntary weapons surrender programmes.
According to PSP, 16,695 weapons were destroyed in 2013, and the number increased in subsequent years until it reached 37,351 in 2018, decreasing from the same year to last year (17,936), and in the first half of 2024 it was 8,317.
In a note released today, the PSP credited the proximity and information activities carried out by its operatives in collaboration with the PNP, local population and other stakeholders as important contributions to the operation.
As part of the PSP’s responsibility for prevention, education and information related to weapons and explosives, 137 local security actions were carried out between 2020 and 2023, promoting licensing and collecting weapons using mobile security units. Service.
In order to reach more citizens, with a special focus on all those visiting Portugal during the holiday period, the PSP, in coordination with the GNR, will carry out Operation Arms in Safety, Summer Tour from 22 July to 11 August 2024.
Since 2020, the PSP has been stepping up its enforcement activities and promoting gun licensing and collection, having started in 2019 and carried out 42 last year, this year it has carried out 202 hunting inspection operations, 127 firearms and explosives information and awareness operations and carried out 2,900 inspections.
As part of this procedure, from 2019 to the current year, the PSP also destroyed 42,595 kilograms of received or seized ammunition and cartridges, as well as 881 aerosols (shielding gas).
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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