A DEADLY AK47 assault rifle and more than 1,500 "lethal" firearms have been surrendered to police from the streets of Scotland.

In total 474 firearms, 690 air weapons and 337 lots of ammunition were handed into police stations across the country during a two-week surrender campaign - with 34 firearms, 55 air weapons and 21 lots of ammunition coming from the Glasgow area.

Superintendent Ronnie Megaughin said it "guaranteed" Glasgow's streets were now safer but was in "no doubt" there are still more guns out there.

He told the Evening Times: "These [weapons] in the hands of criminals makes a very dangerous situation.

Glasgow Times:

"I have no doubt there are still move out there but we have a declining use of firearms in Scotland, it's not a rise. Although people may think it is given the coverage over the past few months.

"Organised criminals have become more sophisticated but we have become more sophisticated in dealing with them."

Glasgow had the sixth highest number of firearms surrendered, behind Tayside, Ayrshire, North East Renfrewshire and Inverclyde, and Highlands and Islands.

The North East recorded two significant weapons handed in to Police Scotland, the deadly AK47 and a World War I machine gun.

The firearms will now be dismantled and destroyed by specialist weapon handlers across the country, however, any items which the force suspect could be involved in a crime will be processed by ballistics.

Supt Meguaghin added: "If you're a criminal and you're pointing that [gun] at someone, the victim has no idea whether it's decommissioned or not so it's just as vital to bring those weapons in.

"There's no [evidence] just now at all to say [these weapons] came from criminals.

Glasgow Times:

"I have no doubt the vast majority were sitting in people's houses. The issue with that is they have a potential to fall into the wrong hands.

"People are much safer as a consequence of this surrender campaign."

The campaign encouraged anyone without a valid certificate to hold a firearm or ammunition to deliver it to one of 43 designated police stations throughout the country from June 18 to July 1.

Officers expected a haul of around 700 devices to be surrendered but praised the public for handing in more than 1,500 weapons.

Supt Meguaghin urged anyone who is yet to hand over an unlicensed weapon to Police Scotland to contact 101 to discuss the matter but he warned those who don't will face prosecution and, potentially, jail time.

He said: "Protecting the public is at the forefront of policing, and reducing the number of illegal or unwanted firearms lowers the risk of harm within our communities.

"Although the surrender campaign has now come to an end, we continue to work to remove illegally held weapons circulating in Scotland."