Over 800 firearms surrendered since Namibia declares amnesty early Sept.

Police in Namibia said Wednesday that they had received 812 firearms and more than 11,000 ammunition since Sept 2. when they declared an amnesty.

In a statement, police public relations officer Edwin Kanguatjivi said they also received 19 explosives.

The gun amnesty was declared to allow those who have illegal fire arms to surrender them to the police.

Kanguatjivi also said the police Inspector General Sebastian Ndeitunga has commended everyone who heeded the call to surrender firearms.

Ndeitunga, the statement said, appealed to those who still possess firearms, ammunitions or armaments to surrender them at the nearest police station.

The amnesty will run until Nov. 18, 2016.

When he declared the amnesty, Ndeitunga said the police and the government were concerned with the proliferation of illegal firearms, ammunition and armaments discovered in recent months countrywide.

He revealed that the police had confiscated 560 illegal firearms between 2013 and 2015.

"This is of grave concern to the police and government as these dangerous weapons are out there in the public domain, posing an imminent threat to the safety and security of citizens," Ndeitunga said then.

All those in possession of illegal firearms, he said, must surrender them to nearest police officer in charge of any police station and will not be prosecuted.

This is the second time since Namibia attained independence in 1990 that a firearms amnesty has been declared.

In 1992, the government called on all those who had fought in the war on the side of the Swapo Party and the South African Defense Forces to surrender their weapons.

It turned out that most of the white farmers who have been found in possession of various firearms held onto them. Endit