Serbia is trying to improve safety and security by launching an online platform, which enables people to anonymously report on weapons held in their areas.As of Friday, Serbians can anonymously and safely report any weapons they know are being stored in their areas via the new “Targeting Weapons” website.
The “Targeting Weapons” project, which is being carried out by the UN, aims to enable Serbs to participate more actively in improving safety and security as well as give their views on arms.There are over a million legally owned firearms in Serbia.
According to a UNDP survey, with a ratio of 15 legal weapons per 100 inhabitants, Serbia is the second country in the region, after Montenegro, in terms of the number of registered firearms in relation to the population.
But no one knows even roughly how many illegal guns are held in the country.
Ivan Zverzhanovski, the project leader, said that one of the goals of the “Targeting Weapons” platform is to collect more data for the police.
Zverzhanovski said the tradition of using and carrying firearms in Serbia is still very powerful.
“Targeting Weapons aims to provide real insight into the attitude of the citizens in terms of culture and use of firearms, and to provide support to state institutions for safety and security campaigns, ” Zverzhanovski said.