Members of BC’s Uniform Gang Enforcement Team are in Revelstoke as dozens of bikers have gathered in the Southeastern B.C. city.
Their presence is to hopefully deter any violence from happening between rival outlaw motorcycle gangs.
“It’s a biker event, what we know or traditionally know, as we’ve seen numerous times in Canada, is these types of events do attract members of outlaw motorcycle gangs,” said Sgt. Brenda Winpenny, a Uniform Gang Enforcement Team spokesperson.
The special forces team is assisting the local detachment in hopes of not having a repeat of what happened in Cranbrook on July 23rd.
“We are really there to protect the public from any situation that may happen. As we know back in July, residents of Cranbrook experienced a situation where we had rival gangs in their community, which resulted in a violent incident. Several people ended up in hospital, and that’s what we want to prevent,” said Winpenny.
Mounties were called to a gas station on Cranbrook Street North around 7 p.m. on July 23rd to reports of “multiple people fighting.”
Five people were sent to hospital with non-life-threatening stab wounds.
The gang enforcement team regularly responds to communities around the province to provide support to police agencies, either proactively or reactively.
“We are seeing different communities in B.C. starting to have their rides. Outlaw motorcycle groups are having their rides as well,” said Winpenny.
“We just want them to know we are present.”
Organizers of the event declined an interview but did say the event is legal and that all attendees are following public health orders for the region.
— With files from Simon Little.
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