GUANGDONG police seized more than 700 guns, 20,000 replica weapons, 500,000 bullets and 6,000 knives in a campaign which took place from March 1 to April 15 targeting gun-related crimes.

    Police also confiscated more than 300 kilograms of explosives, 200 meters of fuse and 600 detonators during the campaign, according to Zhang Yongqiang, deputy director general of Guangdong Provincial Department of Public Security.

    “Most of the guns and replica weapons that have been seized in the campaign were made domestically,” Zhang said.

    Zhang said the special campaign against gun-related crimes would last until the end of November.

    He said the campaign was aimed at ensuring social order for Guangdong’s economic development and creating a better environment for residents and tourists.

    Official statistics revealed that the province had investigated 238 gun-related cases and had busted a number of criminal gangs that used weapons to commit crimes in the first three months this year. Of the gun-related cases, 208 have been solved so far, Zhang said.

    The crackdown has dealt a heavy blow to gun-related crimes in the southern province which borders the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, he said.

    Zhang urged local residents to tip off police and cooperate in fighting crime.

    In a major gun-related case, police in Dongguan detained 23 suspects, including two gang leaders, in the city’s Humen Township between March 3 and 5.

    Police seized eight replica pistols, a hunting gun and bullets and other semi-finished weapons, after they destroyed a secret weapons production location in Humen.

    From Feb. 16 to March 1, police in Qingyuan and Jie-yang cities shut down three sites illegally used for producing and selling guns, detaining 11 suspects and confiscating six guns and a large number of bullets.

    Guangdong’s action is part of a national effort to tackle the issue.

    The country has witnessed a series of armed robberies in recent months, which have triggered public concern and prompted the Ministry of Public Security to launch a nationwide crackdown on guns and explosives, which will last until November this year.

(SD-Agencies)