BIKER GANGS HAVE TO GO, CHIEF SAYS

They'Re Involved In Many Criminal Acts In Canada, Conference Told

THUNDER BAY - The federal government should ban outlaw motorcycle
gangs, says the president of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police.

``They've been declared organized crime elements and there comes a
time when we have to establish the lawfulness of what they do or don't
do,'' Julian Fantino, who is also York Region's police chief, said
yesterday during the association's 48th annual conference.

``The whole image . . . what they do, how they look, how they behave,
is all predicated on the notion that it's an intimidation thing. That
shouldn't be allowed.''

Fantino made the suggestion after an expert on outlaw motorcycle gangs
told the chiefs in a closed session that more should be done to fight
bikers' criminal activities.

The York Region chief said he would also like to see a U.S.-style law
that would allow police to seize the assets of outlaw bikers.

The 200-plus delegates attending the five-day conference were told
that outlaw biker gangs are entrenched throughout Canada and involved
in myriad criminal activities, including trailer thefts, fraud, drugs
and forms of prostitution in the exotic entertainment industry.

There are about 1,200 ``made'' outlaw bikers across Canada and each
member has five to 20 associates, said Staff Sergeant Jean-Pierre
Levesque, who co-ordinates the Canadian effort to combat outlaw
motorcycle gangs.

One powerful gang, the Hell's Angels, is planning to establish
chapters across the country, he told the chiefs.

Only Ontario and Manitoba do not have Hell's Angels chapters but they
are already operating criminal enterprises in Ontario, he said.

Canada has all kinds of small gangs, but the Hell's Angels are
reorganizing the face of the biker world throughout the country, he
said.

The Hell's Angels want to avoid the violence they experienced during a
four-year biker war for control of Quebec, but won't back down from a
fight when they make a bid for control in Ontario, he said.

``They are the leading agency among the bikers and they want to
maintain that. They want to portray an image of an international crime
corporation of professionalism.''

During the gang's four-year dispute with the rival Rock Machine in
Quebec, Levesque said there have been 102 killings and 118 attempted
murders.

The gang is expanding very quickly on the international level as well,
Levesque said.

He told delegates the Hell's Angels have 135 chapters in 21 countries
and will soon establish chapters in four others.

The Hell's Angels in Canada have been waging a court battle to
challenge our laws, he said.

``They use well-paid lawyers who take advantage of every legal
loophole in our system to the advantage of these criminals in
uniforms,'' Levesque told a news conference after addressing the chiefs.

Imposing tougher sentences would help combat the threat posed by
outlaw bike gang members, he said.

Detective Superintendent Dave Crane of the Ontario Provincial Police
said about 15 outlaw motorcycle gangs are entrenched in communities
across the province, including Satan's Choice, the Vagabonds, Loners
and Outlaws.

``Ontario has always been and will continue to be very profitable for
any outlaw motorcycle gang by virtue of the number of people and the
amount of money in the province,'' he said.

The Hell's Angels are engaged in activities in the northern part of
the province, he said.

Crane said it's unlikely the gang will be able to take over in Ontario
without some form of marketing strategy or a war. One strategy could
include flooding the market with high-quality, low-cost drugs to win
over dealers, he said.