Thousands of air weapons have been handed over during the first week of a nationwide amnesty.

It comes ahead of a change in the law to make possession of an unlicensed air weapon a criminal offence.

Aberdeen had the largest number of weapons handed over out of a total of 2301 across Scotland. They will now be destroyed.

Owners who do not wish to apply for a licence have until Sunday, June 12, to hand over their weapons at 72 police stations throughout the country. The new rules will come into force on December 31.

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Assistant chief constable Mark Williams said: “This is a fantastic start to the three-week campaign. It’s a great to see so many weapons being handed in and I’d like to thank responsible members of the public for surrendering them.

“Remember there is still two weeks left to run and I’d like to appeal to anyone who posses an air weapon and doesn’t intend licensing it to hand it in to one of the designated 72 stations across Scotland.

“You can find out all you need to know about the surrender campaign on our website.”

Justice secretary Michael Matheson said: “I had the opportunity to meet with Police Scotland staff last week and see some of the weapons that have been taken off our streets.

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“It is extremely encouraging to know that so many air weapons have been handed in by people who do not plan to have a licence when the new law comes into force at the end of the year.

“I would encourage anybody with an air weapon to stay on the right side of the law by handing them in during the surrender process or, if they wish to keep them, making sure they apply from July 1, 2016 for the right to own an air weapon.”