LET'S NOT GIVE ANGELS TIME TO STAKE THEIR TURF

It's time for the Niagara Regional Police to draw a line in the sand. The
Hells Angels want to set up shop here and the police need to send a clear
message -- outlaw biker gangs aren't welcome.

By absorbing members from four established Ontario gangs Friday, the Hells
Angels have invaded Ontario without firing a single bullet. NRP Chief Gary
Nicholls says police intelligence reports suggest the gang is preparing to
create a Niagara chapter.

This is bad news. The presence of the Hells Angels means more drugs on the
streets and the collateral crime that comes with it.

But there is time to act. According to Hells Angels expert Yves Lavigne, the
rapid expansion of the gang has left it open to attack.

Among the 168 new bikers in the province, Lavigne believes there to be as
many as 40 who are, or could become, police informants. As a result, police
have a unique opportunity to infiltrate the gang's inner works and make
crippling busts.

Moreover, he thinks it will take at least a year before Hells Angels can get
their Ontario affairs organized.

The NRP can't let this opportunity pass. Our cops showed they know how to
bust bikers in the late 1980s through the mid 1990s when they hammered the
Outlaws biker club in St. Catharines.

Through dogged police work, officers laid siege to the Oakdale Avenue
clubhouse and arrested several members. The gang's international president
was even arrested by the NRP and is still facing prosecution.

Now the police must bring forward the same determination to try and keep the
Hells Angels out of Niagara. The region's lucrative drug trade is
irresistible to the Angels and represents their principle form of future
income.

A sustained crackdown on the drug trade before the Hells Angels arrive is
our best defence against the criminal "corporate takeover," of Niagara's
underworld.

Clearly, the one dedicated anti-biker officer the NRP has will not be
enough. In 2000, ex-chief Grant Waddell tried to budget more anti-biker cops
but was shut down by the services board -- a decision that now looks
foolhardy.

The NRP record of the 1990s shows that taking on bikers doesn't require a
wild escalation in police budgets; just careful allocation of existing
resources. But Nicholls said Tuesday he's not yet ready to make a
significant reallocation in face of the Hells Angels threat. He'd rather
wait and see what develops.

Given the impact the Hells Angels could have on our communities, we question
the wisdom of a wait-and-see approach. Any delay might just gives these
bikers the time they need to make themselves at home in Niagara.