China's police have confiscated a total of 12,350 tons of explosives and 502,000 guns in the past five years, the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) said Thursday.

The number of explosion and gun violence cases has dropped in recent years, thanks to several national campaigns, Liu Jinfu, MPS deputy minister, told a conference summing up national public security work since 2002.

The police also seized 8.4 million bullets, 13.8 million detonators and 8.07 million meters of fuse over the past five years, said the official.

Qinghai and Guizhou provinces in western China have seen a rash of illegal production and selling of guns, and so the police launched special campaigns in the two provinces, leading to the closure of 194 illegal gun factories.

"These efforts demonstrated China's firm hand in dealing with the illegal production and sale of guns and arms, which greatly threaten social security and people's lives," Liu said.

China has now set up a national information system on firearms. It has greatly improved the management of the country's firearms.

MPS statistics show that from 2003 to 2006, crimes such as armed robbery, homicide, kidnap and rape dropped.

(Xinhua News Agency March 30, 2007)