A total of 823 firearms were destroyed this Thursday, December 29, at the National Police headquarters. According to the Minister of Public Security, Juan Manuel Pino, this is the last ceremony of 2022.
Pino explained that of the 823 firearms destroyed, 500 are in disuse and the remaining 323 were recovered through the “Armas por vales” program, which was carried out in the province of Chiriquí.
He stressed that this is the 14th weapons destruction ceremony that took place in 2022 and the 31st of the administration of the president, Laurentino Cortizo Cohen, during which 27,486 weapons have been removed from circulation; 412 thousand 445 ammunition and 6 thousand 412 suppliers.
The Minister of Public Security indicated that the security forces have carried out important strategies to locate, confiscate and eradicate illegally acquired firearms, to comply with security objectives in favor of a better country.
In his speech, Pino pointed out that the actions of the Public Force against organized crime will not stop. “The constant operations and raids have yielded positive results as we can see today.”
As for the 323 weapons that were recovered through voluntary surrender through the “Pacifying my Neighborhood, Building the Future” program (carried out in the province of Chiriquí), he said that 269,349 dollars have been invested in favor of people who voluntarily handed over weapons, ammunition and explosives.
He explained that through this program, which was carried out thanks to an agreement between the governments of Panama, Colón, Veraguas and Chiriquí, 1,044 firearms have been removed from circulation; 60 thousand 783 ammunition; 699 providers; 243 explosives and 159 accessories.
The results of the program indicate that the province where the most firearms have been delivered has been Panama 460, followed by Chiriquí with 322, Veraguas with 144 and Colón 78.
