"This increase in the number of seizures does not necessarily indicate that there are more weapons on the territory but in any case, that the police and gendarmerie are more interested in discovering them." This is what Yann Sourisseau, head of the Central Office for the Fight against Organized Crime (OCLCO) points out about the increase in weapons seizures in 2022. According to information from franceinfo, arms seizures increased by 9.5% in France last year compared to 2021.
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In 2022, 8,027 weapons were seized by French authorities. It was 7,330 in 2021. Among these 8,027 weapons, 297 were category A weapons, that is to say weapons of war, details franceinfo.
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"This is explained by work carried out by all the internal security forces, the judicial police and public security which, by multiplying investigations into trafficking, controlling more people on public roads and carrying out more search operations, have been able to reveal the presence of more firearms on the territory," says Yann Sourisseau.
According to the OCLCO boss, searches as part of drug trafficking investigations lead to the discovery of 30% of weapons seized each year.
