KUDAT: Kudat police disposed of 42 unclaimed firearms of various types yesterday.
The firearms included shotguns and rifles and were unclaimed for more than six months.
District police chief Superintendent Mohd Haris Ibrahim said the abandoned firearms belonged to the public and were kept in the Kudat district police headquarters (IPD) armoury.
"The Licensing Division of IPD Kudat has taken action to dispose of a total of 42 barrels of various types of firearms.
"All of the abandoned firearms were stored and remained unclaimed in the armoury for a period exceeding the time allowed by the law," he said in a media statement today.
Mohd Haris explained that according to Section 27(2) of the Firearms Act 1950, the police have the right to dispose of unclaimed firearms after six months.
He mentioned that initial claim notices had been issued through a joint dialogue programme with the owners last July, with action required within three months.
He said that it involved a process of transferring ownership to heirs to retrieve these firearms, but unfortunately, no action was taken by the owners.
"Many did not claim these firearms, believed to be due to their lack of interest in owning them.
"This is a proactive step by the licensing and armoury logistics division of IPD Kudat to take action against unclaimed firearms and to prevent an accumulation of firearms in storage," he said.