Bucharest police doubled the amount of weapons sent to be scrapped or decommissioned in 2012 on the previous year. The 1,343 weapons, which include lethal and non-lethal weapons and guns, were taken by the Bucharest police after licenses to own them expired. The figure was 93 percent up on 2011 and resulted largely from a police crackdown on weapons following a fatal shooting in Bucharest early last year. The incident took place at a hairdressers salon in Bucharest and left two people dead and six others injured. The man was reportedly going through a divorce and his estranged wife appeared to be the intended target.

The attack prompted a police review and a crackdown on the possession of weapons. According to Romanian law, owners of weapons must report to the police within ten days of a licenses' expiry. Failing to do so is a criminal offense, punishable by one to five years in prison.

In Bucharest last year there were 46 incidents in which weapons were used, nearly 18 percent more than in 2011. Seven of the cases involved lethal weapons and overall unlicensed weapons were found in some 26 percent of cases.

Bucharest police canceled 617 licenses last year and in 49 cases forbade future use or ownership of weapons. Nearly 20 percent of weapons licenses nationally are held in Bucharest, just over 31,000 individuals. Businesses that legally bear arms account for a further 9 percent of licenses.

editor@romania-insider.com

photo source: sxc.hu