Weapon Seizures Cases Show Increase Across South East Europe in 2023

SEESAC's new In Focus Armed Violence Monitor addresses weapon seizures in South East Europe in 2023, offering a comparative analysis to 2022. Weapon seizures continue to be vital for law enforcement agencies in combating the illegal possession, proliferation, and trafficking of firearms, ammunition, and explosives (FAE).

The Monitor highlights several significant findings:

  • Weapon seizure cases accounted for 1,679 incidents, representing 48% of all firearm-related incidents in 2023, an 8% increase from 2022.
  • Handguns were the most seized weapons, reported in 674 cases. Seizures of rifles/shotguns (382 cases), explosive devices (297 cases), and automatic/military-grade weapons (231 cases) followed. There was an increase in the seizures of gas pistols (127 cases) and air guns (87 cases).
  • 83 cases involving the seizure of more than five types of weapons were recorded, a 20% increase compared to 2022.
  • A total of 1,830 perpetrators were reported in connection with weapon seizures, with the majority being men.
  • Urban areas saw a higher number of weapon seizures (1,087 cases) compared to rural areas (592 cases). Most seizures occurred at homes/yards (758 cases) and in the street (320 cases).

For more details and data on weapon seizures in South East Europe in 2023, please refer to the full report here.

More data on firearms incidents in South East Europe is available on the Armed Violence Monitoring Platform.

About the Armed Violence Monitoring Platform (AVMP)

The AVMP monitors firearms-related incidents happening in South East Europe. Established in 2014, it collects detailed data from media reports and reports of public institutions where available, covering the Western Balkans and the Republic of Moldova.

The collected data ranges from the type of incident, firearms used, age and gender of the victim and the perpetrator, outcome of the incident, etc.

The AVMP aims to make essential data available to all interested parties and serve as an informative tool for interventions with the overarching goal of a more effective arms control framework and reducing their negative impact on civilians.

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

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