Weapons Melted For Monument To Peace

Authorities melted down more than a million knives and other small weapons Tuesday as part of a program to reduce crime in the capital.

Bogota Mayor Antanas Mockus wants to use metal from the weapons to build a monument to peace.

Homicides have dropped sharply in Bogota since Mockus took office and implemented a series of crime-cutting measures, including ordering bars to close early and offering money to people who turn in weapons.

Colombia has the highest homicide rate of any country not at war, with about 32,000 homicides in 1996.