Over the past time, the Son La Provincial Police Department has directed its subunits and district-level police stations to mobilize local people to hand over illegally-possessed weapons to the authorities and resolutely fight against weapon-related crimes and law violations.
In 2021, the Police Office of Social Order Administrative Management under the Provincial Police Department held public education drives on the laws to manage, possess and use weapons at 9 communes, wards and townships and 182 villages with the participation of 23,800 people, of whom 21,448 signed commitments not to buy, sell, illegally possess, or use weapons, explosives, combat gears as well as to actively report crimes and illegal possession and use of weaponry.
They also investigated 36 cases and arrested 42 people involved in illegally using and possessing weapons, explosives and combat gears.
In the highland districts of Song Ma and Thuan Chau where ethnic minority people often use homemade guns to hunt animals or protect their fields, local police forces regularly organize public meetings to explain laws and encourage locals to give up their illegally-stored weapons, contributing to ensuring security and order in the locality as well as preventing criminals from using weapons to commit crimes.
In 2021, Thuan Chau district police have mobilized local people to surrender 116 homemade firearms of all kinds (76 alcohol guns, 39 flintlock guns, one airgun).
Meanwhile, the police in Song Ma district seized 371 guns of all kinds, 23 gun components, six gun barrels, 2.5 kg of explosives from people while fining eight people for trafficking firecrackers and prosecuting one man for using his homemade gun to shoot others.
Earlier this year, the Song Ma District Police Station had been awarded a Certificate of Merit by the Prime Minister for its achievements in fighting weapon-related crimes.
