Tighten management of weapons, explosives and support tools

Complex developments

One day in late October 2018, Hoang Khac Hieu (born in 1990, residing in Quang Trung Ward, Vinh City) was eating with a group of friends in a restaurant on Le Nin Avenue when Nguyen Gia Dinh (born in 1992, residing in Vinh Tan Ward, Vinh City) came in and started a fight. Seeing Hieu being attacked, the group of people at the table stood up and grabbed chairs to chase and beat Dinh. Hieu pulled out a gun and shot Dinh once in the stomach. At this time, a group of Dinh's men chased Hieu with weapons. After running a distance, Hieu turned around and shot Ngoc Anh once in the shoulder. The shooting left 2 people injured. Hieu and his accomplices were arrested by the police and prosecuted for murder.

Evidence of the case. Photo: internet

The use of guns and firearms to resolve conflicts among gangsters in Nghe An is not uncommon. According to a summary from Nghe An Police, from October 2017 to September 2018, there were 67 cases in the province, with 77 subjects using weapons and explosives to commit crimes. The nature of the cases is increasingly complicated, the subjects using weapons are more reckless, disregarding the law and the lives of the people. Recently, in Block 10, Ben Thuy Ward, (Vinh City), people were playing volleyball when they discovered 2 subjects riding a motorbike carrying dog catching tools and a sack suspected of containing dogs. When the people surrounded them, the 2 subjects turned their motorbikes around and used guns to shoot, throwing a homemade bomb at the people, injuring a man in the leg due to a bullet, the 2 subjects escaped. The above incident caused panic and fear among the people.

Nghi Loc district police destroyed seized guns and support tools.

Notably, recently there has been a situation of buying and selling components, instructions for assembling weapons, explosives, support tools, especially air guns on social networks. After monitoring, the provincial police discovered, prevented, and handled 11 cases, 13 subjects who bought and sold components to assemble guns. On March 30, 2018, Thanh Chuong district police caught Vo Dinh Thuong (born in 1992, residing in Thi Tu village, Thanh Thuy commune, Thanh Chuong district) in the act of illegally storing weapons, the seized evidence was 2 homemade guns. An urgent search of the suspect's residence confiscated the items the suspect used to make guns, including: grinders, files, wrenches, motorcycle brake springs, gun-shaped steel pieces, perforated steel pieces... The Criminal Techniques Department, Nghe An Provincial Police concluded that the two homemade guns seized from the suspect were "Guns with features and effects similar to military weapons". Vo Dinh Thuong confessed that he bought the above items himself, researched documents on social networking sites to make his own guns, each gun was sold for 3 million VND.

In 7 years (from 2011 - 2017), tThrough the investigation of the cases, the authorities seized 40 military guns, 384 homemade guns, 250 grenades, 4,348 bullets, 4,823 kg of explosives, 2,950 kg of explosive precursors, and 21,456 detonators. Prosecuted and investigated 670 cases and 905 defendants for the illegal trading, transportation, storage, and use of weapons, explosives, and support tools.

Currently, the number of hot weapons, especially guns, among the people is still very large. There are many types of weapons, bombs, and mines left over from the war, people have picked them up or dug them up but have not voluntarily handed them over. Some people in border communes, remote areas, and isolated areas still use weapons and explosives to hunt wild animals, catch aquatic and seafood, which poses many potential risks to public order and safety. In addition, the buying, selling, transporting, storing, and using of fireworks tends to increase, especially during the Lunar New Year.

Tam Quang Border Guard Station receives weapons handed over by people. Photo: Phuong Linh

According to the leader of Nghe An Provincial Police, although the number of weapons and explosives handed over by the people and seized by the authorities in the past time is very large, the management of weapons and explosives in the province still faces many difficulties. Especially the situation of drug smuggling from abroad into the area, criminals often equip themselves with military weapons... to serve the transportation and illegal trading of drugs, ready to fight back against the authorities when discovered and arrested.

Strengthen propaganda

It can be said that, in addition to inspection, detection and seizure measures, propaganda and mobilization measures to encourage people to voluntarily hand over weapons and explosives are still proving to be the most effective.

Do Luong district police mobilized people to hand over weapons.

In recent times, Do Luong District Police have regularly directed professional teams to closely coordinate with agencies, departments and branches to maintain and establish working groups to go to the grassroots to carry out the work of mobilizing the collection, issuing denunciation forms, detecting to citizens and regularly collecting information from the masses to grasp the subjects with illegal acts of trading, manufacturing, storing and using weapons and explosives. Through propaganda measures, the police force has recovered 182 homemade guns that shoot alcohol-based pellets, 1 military gun, 46 knives and 35 swords.

In 7 years (from 2011 to 2017), the authorities mobilized people to hand over 142 military guns, 302 sports guns, 13,977 homemade guns, 221 bombs, 151 grenades, 60 mines, 518 artillery shells, 22,314 bullets of various types, 252.1 kg of explosives, 843 detonators, 853 m of fuse, 380 support tools, 5,465 knives and swords, and 850 prohibited dangerous toys. Authorities also discovered and recovered 85 military guns, 125 sports guns, 567 homemade guns, 60 grenades, 7,245 bullets, 145 kg of air gun bullets, 1,270 kg of explosives, 1,119 kg of detonators, 6,678 m of fuse...

With the motto of sticking to the grassroots, making people believe, understand, grasp the thoughts and aspirations of the people, taking propaganda, mobilization and persuasion as the main measures, in the past time, Dien Chau District Police have coordinated with local authorities and departments, branches and organizations to integrate propaganda and the recovery of weapons and explosives through activities such as: Hamlet meetings, self-management group meetings, Youth Union activities and taking advantage of prestigious people in the clans to propagate and mobilize, creating positive changes in the awareness of each person. Since 2012, Dien Chau District Police have propagated and mobilized people to hand over 24 mine detonators, 2 grenades, 5 homemade mines, 140 guns of various types...

It can be said that the general inspections and mobilizations for the entire population to hand over weapons, explosives and supporting tools that the police force coordinated with other units have shown remarkable results. According to the provincial police leader, in addition to mobilizing people to voluntarily hand over weapons, the provincial police also coordinated with other agencies to conduct inspections of units, organizations and enterprises that are allowed to equip and use weapons and explosives to promptly detect and correct errors. At the same time, working groups were established to go to the grassroots areas to coordinate propaganda, guide the collection and prevention of violations of weapons, explosives and firecrackers before, during and after the Lunar New Year.

Weapons voluntarily surrendered by people.

At the end of the year, the situation of subjects taking advantage of the situation to store, buy and sell weapons, explosives and supporting tools will continue to be complicated. Nghe An Police is continuing to coordinate with functional units to strengthen inspection, proactively detect and strictly handle subjects with violations in the management and use of weapons and explosives in the area. In addition, it is necessary to overcome limitations in handling the illegal production, purchase, sale, transportation, storage and use of weapons with similar functions and effects, and enhance the responsibility of local Party committees, authorities, departments, branches and organizations in directing the implementation of this task.