South-west divisional firearms officer Leading Senior Constable Malcolm Agnew said 47 guns were handed into south-west police during the March amnesty campaign.

Of the firearms, 35 were handed in to Warrnambool police station, eight at Hamilton and four in Portland.

Leading Senior Constable Agnew said he was pretty happy with the response considering the current coronavirus pandemic.

"I think about half way through the month people lost interest and it went a bit elsewhere with everything focused on the coronavirus," he said.

"We've had more successful amnesty periods in the past but this is still good. It's still 47 guns that are no longer out in the community, with the potential of landing in the hands of the wrong person."

Leading Senior Constable Agnew said the majority of firearms were gathering dust in the back of people's sheds.

"They're mainly old guns that were just lying around and were more of a safety issue than anything because they were in really bad condition," he said.

"It gives people an opportunity to get rid of them if they don't actually know what to do with them."

Leading Senior Constable Agnew thanked the community for their participation, stating that people could still hand their guns into the station.

"Our main aim is to reduce the number of unregistered or illegal firearms off the street," he said.

"So if anyone has one sitting in the back of their garage, or they know one has been sitting in Uncle Harry's shed for 30 years, bring it in to the station. It's better than some kid, or a criminal, picks them up."

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