Members meet at the Hells Angels Club House in Saskatoon, Sask., Thursday, July 20, 2012. Hundreds of Hells Angels are roaring into Saskatoon and police are watching to make sure the bikers are on their best behaviour. As many as 500 Hells Angels are expected in the Prairie city over the weekend for a national rally. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Liam Richards
July 20, 2012 - 10:01 PM
SASKATOON - About 500 Hell's Angels members from across the country are gathering in Saskatoon for the weekend and so far there haven't been any problems.
The Saskatoon police service has been setting up check stops and beefing up their presence in the city, but have only given out a few traffic tickets.
Detective Sgt. Len Isnor of the Ontario Provincial Police says Saskatoon was likely chosen as the meeting site just by chance.
He says when club members have their officers' meetings, they put forward proposals and vote on it.
Several police agencies from across Canada -- including officers from Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia and the RCMP -- have been brought in to help.
Isnor says there's no one police force in Canada that can take on organized crime by themselves, so they work together in partnership.
Isnor dismisses any notion that members of the club are simply motorcycle enthusiasts.
"They knew what they were getting into when they joined," he says.
"They're getting into a criminal organization that is the largest outlaw motorcycle gang in the world. They're in over 40 countries worldwide with over 4,000 members."
However, Isnor says there is no reason for people in Saskatoon to change their plans or avoid going out, because the gang tends to be on their best behaviour when they are in the public eye.
(CKOM)
News from © The Canadian Press, 2012