Muscat: The Royal Oman Police (ROP) have launched a campaign to warn of the dangers of using firecrackers.
Firecrackers could cause terrible eye injuries and burns, and start fires, a spokesman for the ROP Public Relations Department said on Saturday.
Stiff penalties would be handed down to anyone found to be in possession of firecrackers.
"Despite punishments being meted out to smugglers and users of firecrackers over the past years, children continue to use them, especially during Eids and on other occasions," the spokesman said.
"It is a public nuisance," he stressed. "Besides, the use of firecrackers could cause injuries and burns and could start fires... There is a real risk that users may injure their eyes."
The ROP have tightened surveillance on the border to curb the smuggling of firecrackers into the country.
The ROP spokesman said several arrests were made before last year's Eid Al Adha for anyone attempting to smuggle firecrackers into the country.
He said anyone found to be in possession of firecrackers would be arrested. People arrested for possession of firecrackers would not be granted bail but would be held in custody until their court appearance.
The law in Oman forbids anyone from dealing in explosives, which includes firecrackers. The offence is punishable by no more than three years in prison and a fine of up to 3,000 Omani riyals, or both.
The sentence would be doubled if an offender repeated the crime, the spokesman said.
