‘European approach’ needed to biker gangs, says Belgian minister

Belgium’s interior minister Jan Jambon has opened a discussion at the European level to address problems related to criminal motorcycle gangs. In a meeting last week with the Belgian mayors of several border municipalities, Jambon and the mayors talked to European Union law enforcement agency Europol about the public security threat posed by motorcycle gangs such as the Hells Angels and the Bandidos.

Just as Europe has an international plan against terrorism, it also needs to implement a plan against the threat of criminal biker gangs, says Jambon, who is urging Europol to enlist the support of the federal police should the gangs start shifting their operations from the Netherlands down into Belgium.

Some of the mayors had requested the meeting with Jambon because they are worried about the potential consequences of a tougher approach to gangs recently effected in the Netherlands and Germany.

Dutch justice minister Ard van der Steur is investigating whether it is possible to impose a general ban on biker gangs in the Netherlands. Jambon is also­­­ considering such a ban for Belgium.