WA police are hailing a firearms amnesty which began almost three months ago a great success.

More than 1,000 unlicensed firearms and more than 60,000 rounds of ammunition have been surrendered so far.

The Deputy Police Commissioner Chris Dawson says the firearms include more than 100 handguns and two submachine guns.

The amnesty began on August 1 and finishes at the end of October.

Mr Dawson says it is the biggest surrender of unlicensed firearms for some time.

“The last amnesty we did was in 2006 and there were only 166 firearms handed in,” he said.

“To have over a thousand with another week to go is a real success.”

He said the handguns were of particular concern as they are often the weapon of choice of organised crime figures.

People caught with an unlicensed firearm could face criminal charges with a maximum of three years imprisonment or a $12,000 fine.