400 convictions for serious crime involving members of the Hells Angels and its support group AK81, the Bandidos and five immigrant gangs
Police managed a record 400 convictions for serious crime involving members of the Hells Angels and its support group AK81, the Bandidos and five immigrant gangs.
Nonetheless, it remains uncertain whether the police focus on gang crime has actually worked. Since August 2007, Copenhageners have been plagued by an historically large number of armed attacks between bikers and immigrant groups. Liberal Party Justice Spokesman Kim Anders says, however, that the police focus is working. “The large number of convictions show that the police are on the right track. But the figures also show that we are dealing with hardened criminals. The unfortunate thing is that despite police successes and their focus, new members are coming into the gangs,” Andersen says. The police report shows that the National Police is monitoring five Category 1 gangs, in which members are mainly from ethnic minorities. Due to their loose organization, it is difficult to determine how many members they have, but police estimate some 172 members. Some 139 charges were brought against the groupings, with convictions for serious crime in 131 cases involving violence, narcotics or weapons possession. The report goes on to say that the Hells Angels had 120 members at the end of 2007 with members being charged 87 times and receiving 61 convictions for serious crime. The Hells Angels support group AK81 – with 113 members at the end of 2007, was, on paper at least, the worst of the gangs with 314 charges and 164 convictions. This means that on average, each member of AK81 received more than one conviction in 2007.
Nonetheless, it remains uncertain whether the police focus on gang crime has actually worked. Since August 2007, Copenhageners have been plagued by an historically large number of armed attacks between bikers and immigrant groups. Liberal Party Justice Spokesman Kim Anders says, however, that the police focus is working. “The large number of convictions show that the police are on the right track. But the figures also show that we are dealing with hardened criminals. The unfortunate thing is that despite police successes and their focus, new members are coming into the gangs,” Andersen says. The police report shows that the National Police is monitoring five Category 1 gangs, in which members are mainly from ethnic minorities. Due to their loose organization, it is difficult to determine how many members they have, but police estimate some 172 members. Some 139 charges were brought against the groupings, with convictions for serious crime in 131 cases involving violence, narcotics or weapons possession. The report goes on to say that the Hells Angels had 120 members at the end of 2007 with members being charged 87 times and receiving 61 convictions for serious crime. The Hells Angels support group AK81 – with 113 members at the end of 2007, was, on paper at least, the worst of the gangs with 314 charges and 164 convictions. This means that on average, each member of AK81 received more than one conviction in 2007.
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