OFF THE WIRE
Hundreds of Hells Angels members are riding into Saskatoon this week for the club's national run and Saskatoon police are bringing in extra law enforcement to monitor the notorious biker gxxg.
Police are expecting up to 400 Hells Angels members and associates will arrive in the city today and Thursday for the "national run," a club party that this year is hosted by the Saskatoon chapter. While Hells Angels have a history of violence and criminal activity - members maintain they are only part of a motorcycle enthusiasts' social club - police say the event should pose little threat to the public.
"They are here for a party, but they are also here to talk face to face," said Saskatoon police Insp. Jerome Engele, who heads up the criminal investigation division. "They'll be talking business, absolutely. - I'm very confident there won't be any problems. The local Hells Angels don't want to look like buffoons. They want to hold a trouble-free event."
The national run is presented as a giant party for Hells Angels members. Engele said the event is held in different cities every five or six years and attendance is mandatory. The clubhouse will be the centre of activity from Thursday to Saturday, but members typically stay at one or two hotels and frequent restaurants and bars, Engele said.
Police officers from across Saskatchewan and from B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec will also be in Saskatoon at the request of local police to help monitor the event. The extra law enforcement is as much a safety precaution as it is a chance for organized crime officers to gather intelligence, Engele said.
"This group is recognized by the Supreme Court of Canada as an organized crime group," he said. "We want to know who is associating with them, who they are talking to, who is allowed to approach the leaders. These people are involved in the drug trade and deal at a high level."
Police will be operating traffic stops to monitor Hells Angels members as they travel into the city today and Thursday. Officers will be checking identification and looking for traffic safety violations, Engele said. Plainclothes officers will also be spread throughout the city, as will extra patrols in the downtown and other areas.
A man who was entering the Hells Angels Saskatoon clubhouse on Tuesday said nobody at the compound would comment for this story. The Hells Angels started in the U.S. following the Second World War as some veterans were drawn together by their distaste for "normal life." Hells Angels chapters are found in North and South America, Europe and Australia. In Canada, the biker gang is known for its clashes with rival gxxgs and its involvement in the drug trade and violence.
There are about 20 Hells Angels members in Saskatoon and 20 in Regina and this national run is a chance for the local chapter to flex its muscle, Engele said.
"They're showing a strong force, that this city belongs to them," he said. "It says that if there are things to be dealt with, this is who you deal with - they have the resources at their beck and call if required and have the resources to do what they want."
Local membership numbers could grow as the chapters are actively recruiting prospects for eventual "fullpatch" membership or for "puppet biker clubs," which are other biker gxxgs associated with the Hells Angels, Engele said.
"It's a bit concerning for us," he said. "Some of these guys are getting older and more and more younger people are wanting to join."
There is a cost associated with the extra law enforcement, but Engele said he would be surprised if it reached $10,000. Police forces generally cover their officers' expenses while working in other cities, he said.
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