Thanks to the police in Westmoreland, another illegal weapon is out of the hands of criminal elements.

The police reported that about 11 p.m. on Thursday, a special police team from Savanna-la-Mar was on patrol in the Big Bridge area when they saw two men standing beside an abandoned shop.

It was further reported that when the patrol team exited the vehicle they were fired upon by the men. The police returned the fire, but the men made good their escape into nearby bushes.

A subsequent search of the area yielded an AK-47 rifle with seven rounds of ammunition.

None of the police personnel was reported injured but it is still uncertain if any of the men were hit during the exchange of fire.

-D.M.