ORLANDO, Fla. -- Members of the Orange County anti-crime unit will carry automatic submachine guns to combat heavily armed criminals roaming Central Florida streets.

Sheriff's deputies who patrol areas around South Orange Blossom Trail have the same stories to tell, going up against criminals with powerful guns almost every night, Local 6 reported.

"(It's) a simple concept: Where there's drugs, there's going to be guns," Orange County sheriff's Cmdr. Al Rollins said.

An officer told Local 6 that Holden Heights and the Silver Star Corridor have become violent crime areas.

"(There was an incident with) an AK-47 and another firearm," Orange County sheriff's Sgt. Paul Smalley said. "We started hearing the gunfire exchange. We knew it was close. We knew it was really close when the bullets were going over our heads and hitting the oak trees where we were standing."

Officials said they fear deputies may be outgunned by criminals so they are adding the weapons to their arsenal.

The county's tactical anti-crime unit will purchase 40 H&K UMP 45 weapons. The submachine guns are compact, quicker and more powerful than current weapons.

"All of those (crime) calls for service, the assailants are armed and in most cases better armed than we are," Rollins said.

The tactical anti-crime unit should get the new weapons within a few weeks.

This year, Orange County sheriff's deputies have taken 800 guns off the streets.

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.