The spokesperson for B.C.’s anti-gang police unit said it’s “concerning” that Hells Angels gang members appear to have been holding parties in Langley Township rec centres.
The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU) has been running a social media campaign in recent months to warn people about the risk to the public posed by outlaw biker gangs such as the Hells Angels.
“Anyone could have been in danger of being a victim of an act of violence, an innocent victim,” Winpenny said.
The Hells Angels are “perpetrators and attractors of violence,” she said.
An internal Township email provided to the Langley Advance Times showed that staff were concerned and uncomfortable after an April 6 party held at George Preston Recreation Centre at which Hells Angels members arrived.
The email mentioned it was not the first time the group had turned up for a rental at the centre.
READ MORE: Hells Angels partied with strippers at Langley rec centre
Chad John Wilson, a member of the Hardside chapter of the Hells Angels, was found dead under the Golden Ears Bridge in Maple Ridge last November. Suminder Grewal, another Hardside member, was murdered in broad daylight while he sat in a Starbucks drive-through in South Surrey in August.
READ MORE: Police aim to prevent retaliation after Hells Angel found dead under B.C. bridge
READ MORE: Two men charged after Hells Angel shot dead in South Surrey
According to a spokesperson, the Township is developing a policy covering rentals. The April 6 event, which involved alcohol and eight strippers, violated the rental agreement for the space.
“I’m expecting we’ll get an update on what’s happened,” said Mayor Jack Froese.
Because part of the matter is one of internal staffing, he said it was likely council will discus it at a closed meeting on Monday.
There are also likely to be discussions with Township lawyers and the RCMP over what to do with regards to gang members who wear their colours into public facilities, said Froese.
“We want to make sure everyone’s safe,” the mayor said.
“I am in support of developing a policy to make sure our facilities are used appropriately by people who agree to abide by the rules, or calls to law enforcement should be made,” said Township Councillor Margaret Kunst.
“We have read about people being targeted and gunned down with alleged connections to organized crime in drive-throughs and parking lots,” Kunst said in an email to the Langley Advance Times. “This can potentially put staff and recreation users participating in other programs at risk.”
Many establishments – businesses, non-profits, and government agencies – deny entry to people wearing gang colours or logos, said Winpenny
If gang members turn up wearing colours – such as the Hells Angels vests with their death’s head logo – Winpenny said employees can call the police in their jurisdiction to have gang members removed.
READ MORE: Biker club with ties to Hells Angels sets up in Fort Langley: police
