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 Hells Angels celebrate in B.C. town as police watch |
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| Hells Angels celebrate in B.C. town as police watch |
   
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Hells Angels motorcycle club members from across Canada gathered under the watchful eyes of police in a B.C. city Friday to celebrate three local chapters' 25 years in the province.
The province's Integrated Gang Task Force greeted every member of the biker club who arrived at the clubhouse in Langley, southeast of Vancouver, with barricades and police checks.
"Police resources have been drawn from all across the Lower Mainland, including the RCMP detachments, as well as every municipal agency," spokesman Sgt. Shinder Kirk said Friday.
The two-day party is a celebration for the White Rock, Vancouver and Nanaimo chapters of the notorious group and a spokesman for the Hells Angels in B.C. said they're not happy about the lack of privacy.
A police officer takes photos of people entering the Hells Angels' party venue in Langley, B.C., on Friday. (CBC)
"We were going to have a private event and nobody would have known about it if it hadn't been for the police press release," Rick Ciarniello told CBC News Friday.
Police officers took an extensive number of photos of the people who entered the party venue and the barricades were there to prevent trouble, Kirk said.
"What we want to do is discourage those people that might just simply want to drive by and maybe make disparaging comment or start something thinking that they're able to take someone on," he said.
Some nearby residents said they aren't worried about safety and an increasing police presence might be bad for local businesses.
Angels are 'good neighbours'
Roger Pinette, who runs a pond supply nursery across the street from the party location, said the police presence was too much.
"I am a seasonal nursery and these are our selling weeks right now, especially when we have the good weather," he said. "We have barriers up. I consider that intimidation for our customers who're coming to visit us."
Kim Paar, who lives nearby, said the Hells Angels members there are "really good neighbours.
"I'm sure you don't hear that very often but this is probably the safest place in Langley to live," she said.
Another resident, Lisa Pick, agreed.
"We've never had any problems with them. I feel so safe living here."
Criminal Intelligence Service Canada has described the Hells Angels as the largest "outlaw motorcycle gang" in the country and has said the motorcycle club is involved in the illegal drug trade, prostitution, fraud and extortion.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbi...ty.html?ref=rss
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26.07.2008 11:45 |
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