Police in Papua New Guinea are preparing a major crack down on illegal firearms in the Eastern Highlands, Morobe and Madang.
The assistant commissioner of police in the Northern Command, Peter Guinness, told the Post Courier, the operation which will run till the end of February aims to bring in all unlicensed firearms including home made guns.
Mr Guinness says the operation will start with an awareness program calling on members of the community to come forward and surrender any unlicensed firearms and ammunition.
He also noted that laws and regulations in Papua New Guinea governing the use of firearms were obsolete and ineffective.
In the week leading up to the New Year, PNG's deputy opposition leader Sam Basil had also highlighted the need for legislative changes to be made before a moratorium on guns could be successful.
