BEIJING — Police departments in China solved over 20,000 criminal cases involving guns and explosives in 2020, the Ministry of Public Security said on Jan 4.

The police apprehended over 20,000 suspects involved in such cases, in the meantime seizing around 76,000 illegal guns and more than 140 tons of explosive devices in law-enforcement operations, the ministry said.

In one particular case, the police department in Henan province busted an online gun-selling ring, arresting over 640 suspects while seizing more than 720 guns.

According to the ministry, the number of crimes in China involving guns and explosives dropped by 12.5 percent and 15.4 percent year-on-year, respectively.

The ministry vowed to further intensify the crackdown on crimes involving guns and explosives to ensure public security.