Armed Violence Trends in Southeast Europe – New Quarterly Report Published

The Quarterly Armed Violence Monitor Report contains information on the most dominant trends related to incidents with firearms in the period October – December 2020. Here are some of the main findings:

• A total of 874 firearms-related incidents were recorded in the October – December 2020 period, which is a 9.6% increase in the number of reported firearm incidents in the SEE compared to the previous quarter;
• Weapon seizures accounted for 43.1% (377) of all reported firearm incidents in this period, which is an increase of 18% from the previous quarter. Handguns were the most seized type of weapon, accounting for 28.9% of all reported seizures, followed by explosive devices (27.3%);
• The number of firearm-related incidents in criminal context accounted for 19.6% of all reported incidents, with armed robberies accounting for 73,8% of the incidents under this category;
• A 78% increase in the number of firearm-related domestic violence incidents was recorded during this period compared to the previous quarter;
• In 364 firearm incidents, the weapons used were in illegal possession, while in 470 cases, the type of possession was not reported. The firearms were reported in legal possession in 40 cases.

To get more information on the firearm-related trends in the SEE, please click here.

About the AVMP

The Armed Violence Monitoring Platform (AVMP) monitors firearms-related incidents happening in South-East Europe. Established in 2014, the AVMP collects detailed data from the media reports and reports of public institutions where available, covering Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, North Macedonia and Kosovo*.

The collected data range from the type of incident, firearms used, age and gender of the victim and the perpetrator, outcome of the incident. etc. Basic data analysis is also provided for various data sets aiming to discover trends related to the incidents.

The purpose of the AVMP is to make essential data available to all interested parties working on small arms and light weapons control. The AVMP can serve as an informative tool for interventions with the overarching goal of a more effective arms control framework and the reduction of their negative impact on civilians.

The AVMP is supported with funding from EU Council Decision (CFSP) 2019/2111 of 9 December 2019 in support of SEESAC disarmament and arms control activities in South-East Europe reducing the threat of illicit small arms and light weapons and their ammunition.

*References to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999).