Chinese police authorities seized more than 510,000 illegal knives and closed down more than 3,000 knife factories and shops from Aug. 10 to 15 in a national campaign against illegal firearms, explosives and knives.

Police all over the country inspected markets, tourist destinations, entertainment venues and areas surrounding schools for illegal knives.

In a news release provided to Xinhua on Friday, the Ministry of Public Security gave details of its campaign against illegal knives in several provinces.

In Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous region, more than 30,000 policemen were dispatched to inspect more than 16,000 venues and they seized 89,000 illegal knives.

More than 70,000 policemen in Guangdong Province confiscated 89,000 knives from Aug. 10 to 15.

About 75,000 policemen in Hebei Province cracked 182 knife-related criminal cases, seized 21,000 knives and closed down 146 knife factories and shops.

Wu Heping, spokesman for the Ministry of Public Security, admitted last month that the country's overall security situation concerning explosives, guns and knives is "not optimistic."

From June to August, Chinese police seized thousands of guns and tons of explosives in the three provinces of Sichuan, Liaoning and Jilin as part of national campaign against illegal firearms, explosives and knives, according to the Ministry of Public Security.

In the southwestern province of Sichuan, police confiscated about 5,500 guns, including pistols, hunting rifles, and home-made and military weapons, a source from the ministry said.

In Liaoning, the northeastern province, police raids in the past two months netted 336 guns, 10,884 bullets, and 1.91 tons of explosives.

The police melted the firearms in 13 furnaces, according to the ministry.

More than 1,000 people involved in 244 separate cases were charged with firearms crimes in the provinces of Jilin and Sichuan, the ministry said.

(Xinhua News Agency August 19, 2006)