TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s top cop Thursday (March 11) vowed to step up efforts to eradicate illegal firearms, saying this is a major priority for the country’s police.

In a press conference on Wednesday afternoon (March 10), media asked National Police Agency (NPA) Director-General Chen Ja-chin (陳家欽) whether the agency has a strategy to counteract the flurry of shooting incidents that have dominated the news recently as well as the general overflow of illegal firearms.

In response, Chen said the agency attaches much importance to the issue of illegal firearms, which has led to good results.

Police seize an average of 90-100 illegal firearms a month, the NPA chief said, adding that the recent crackdown on organized crime from March 3-10 resulted in the seizure of 26 unlicensed guns.

Chen emphasized that the government will not allow guns to endanger public safety. He also cited the recent passage of an amendment to the Controlling Guns, Ammunition and Knives Act introducing a mandatory minimum prison sentence of five years for possession of an illegal firearm.