1,563 pieces of collected and seized weapons destroyed in Banja Luka

(Patria) - In the Jelšingrad foundry in Banja Luka today, 1,563 pieces of weapons and weapon parts collected and seized by BiH police agencies - Border Police of BiH, SIPA, MUP RS, nine cantonal MUP offices and the Brčko District Police were destroyed.

Representatives of the Coordination Board for Small Arms and Light Weapons Control drew attention to the dangers that surplus weapons, as well as poorly secured and illegally possessed weapons, pose to the daily safety of all citizens.



The problem of circulation and illegal proliferation of weapons in Southeast Europe knows no borders and requires a coordinated regional response.

Dragan Vukadin, Deputy Chair of the Coordination Board for Small Arms and Light Weapons Control in BiH, pointed out that these are weapons collected by police agencies through regular police activities, as well as through voluntary surrender by citizens.



- This operation is the result of dedicated work by police agencies in collecting weapons, but also of the awareness among citizens about the dangers posed by illegal possession of weapons - said Vukadin, adding that the destruction of weapons contributes to increasing the safety of citizens and preventing their use in the commission of criminal acts.

Through the implementation of these activities, Bosnia and Herzegovina continues its commitment to achieving the goals defined by the Roadmap for a sustainable solution to combating the illicit possession, misuse and trafficking of small arms and light weapons, their ammunition and explosives in the Western Balkans by 2030, as well as the Strategy for Small Arms and Light Weapons Control in Bosnia and Herzegovina.



The destruction of weapons was organized by the Coordination Board for Small Arms and Light Weapons Control in BiH, in cooperation with the South Eastern and Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (UNDP SEESAC), with technical support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in BiH and financial support from the EU through the project "Support for Strengthening the Fight against Illicit Possession, Misuse and Trafficking of Small Arms and Light Weapons in the Western Balkans".