Police on lookout for new motorcycle club using old name

BN- Biker enforcement police are watching what's believed to be a new motorcycle club forming in Hamilton that's using the name of an old outlaw gang: the Red Devils.

In November the original Red Devils, then Canada's oldest outlaw club, surprised many by voting to patch over to an East Coast club called Bacchus. At the time, police and biker experts speculated the vote was partly to avoid confusion with Hells Angels support clubs that also go by the name Red Devils.

Now it appears a support club, or "puppet club," has moved into Hamilton. These clubs are not official criminal organizations (called "one per cent clubs" in biker culture) but experts are worried the new Red Devils may spell tension between Bacchus and Hells Angels.

OPP biker enforcement unit Det. Staff Sgt. Len Isner says they've received information about the new club, some of it from Facebook postings by an apparent new member that show the new Red Devils patch.

The patch pictured says Red Devils MC Hamilton and includes the flaming devil face that's synonymous with the support club that first formed in Ottawa.

But Isner said the group hasn't yet been physically spotted by police, so can't be 100 per cent confirmed. Still, the news is enough to get police watching.

"We're always concerned, any time you have rival gangs in areas. We're taking appropriate steps."

Reached on the phone, former Red Devil leader turned Bacchus member Ray Philp said he's heard about the new puppet club, but he's "not saying" whether it's causing tension.

The club has been "having fun" since patching over, Philp added.

Hells Angels were friendly with the old Red Devils, and provincial police believe they were offended by the switching of allegiances.

One possible reason for them taking offence is the wording on the patches, Isner explains. Bacchus has an image of a Roman centurion with a skull face in the centre, the words Bacchus above and the province name below (this is called a bottom rocker).

Before the November patching over, only Hells Angels had a bottom rocker that said Ontario; other clubs used the name of their city, he said.

"We know there will be some repercussions," Isner said.

"We're hoping that whatever happens, it's resolved peacefully."

Hells Angels remain the largest outlaw motorcycle gang in Canada. Bacchus is second with about 100 members across Ontario and eastern Canada.

More: http://www.thespec.com/news-story/5444456-police-on-lookout-for-new-motorcycle-club-using-old-name/