Police vow to halt Bulldog Bash
By Steve Farrell -
Events
22 June 2009 15:54
Police have vowed to do everything in their power to stop this year’s Bulldog Bash, branding it a fundraiser for organised crime.
Senior officers from Warwickshire and West Midlands Police spoke as seven members of rival gangs the Hells Angels and Outlaws were jailed for six years each for their part in a mass brawl at Birmingham International Airport.
Warwickshire Assistant Chief Constable Bill Holland said there was a threat to public safety from possible further violence at the rally, planned for August 6-9 at Long Marston Airfield in Warwickshire.
Holland said: “The Bulldog Bash is a Hells Angels event run by the Hells Angels for the Hells Angels. It raises therefore significant sums of money for an organised crime group… Warwickshire Police have made it quite clear we do not want the Bulldog Bash to take place in the county and we will take all legal opportunities available to us to prevent it happening… There is a real danger and threat to people if the Bulldog Bash takes place.”
The rally was last year granted a 10-year licence by Stratford-on-Avon District Council despite police opposition. Holland said police “haven’t abandoned yet the possibility” of banning the rally on public order grounds. “Indeed I am still hopeful that through the courts we will be able to get the licence for the event removed,” he said.
He said Hells Angels were involved in “murder, extortion, robbery, prostitution, drugs and firearms offences” and that the shooting dead of member Gerry Tobin as he returned from the rally in 2007 had “opened our eyes to the levels of violence and criminality”.
“The ingrained hatred between the gangs has continued and become more and more entrenched,” he added.
Bulldog Bash organisers said they were “deeply disappointed” by the claims. A spokesman said: “The Bash is a well run, well regulated and tightly controlled commercial event involving many people from different backgrounds and walks of life, unconnected to the organisers. They work co-operatively with us to stage a show with an excellent safety record and low crime rate, going back many years. Any profits made are re-invested in making the event bigger and better.”
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