Luanda — Some sixty people were sentenced this year by the Court to correctional terms of six to seven months of effective prison for illegal possession of firearms, said Friday the second commander-general of National Police, Paulo de Almeida.

Speaking to Angop, at the first anniversary of the approval of Government's programme for disarmament of the population, the commissioner de Almeida announced the need to work hard toward taking measures of the criminal responsibility against those insisting in keeping weapons illegally.

"This year only the court tried about 60 elements who were sentenced to correctional term of six to seven months of effective prison", stressed the high-ranking officer of corporation, adding that during the compulsory collection some 8,000 assorted firearms were recorded.

"Some individuals consider the gun as a relic or a property acquired by any act of heroism, but they are not exempt from this process," he noted.

He called for educating and awareness task of the people on the risks they face in keeping these weapons in their homes.

On the other hand, the commissioner pledged to carry out, during the second year of implementation of disarmament, a complementary work to the control, organization and supervision of the use of firearms, focussed on review of any legislation on the use and possession of weapons and the Law on the private security companies.

The National Commission for the Disarmament has collected, over the past 12 months, 55,064 firearms, 200,266 ammunitions and 15,781 explosives and uncovered 49 arms caches.