The Moose Jaw Police Service says that they are monitoring the expansion of the Estevan Heretics Motorcycle Club which recently announced a Moose Jaw chapter of the organization.

According to Staff Sgt. Taylor Elder, community and strategic services officer with the MJPS, right now there are no concrete links between the Heretics and criminal motorcycle organizations such as the Hell's Angels or Rebels.

"We don't want to scare the public, there's no reason to be scared of these people. They may be influenced a little by the Hell's Angels but I'm not able to connect a direct line between the two groups right now. We're going to monitor their interactions with the public and if their actions require a response from us."

The Estevan branch of the Heretics Motorcycle Club is known for organizing poker runs and other types of rallies in support of various charitable causes. Their activities were further pushed into the spotlight when their clubhouse was destroyed by arson in 2016. Elder says that motorcycle clubs will often hold charitable events but that the motivations are not always transparent.

"If this group was to hold events in Moose Jaw, we would obviously have a police attendance there to make sure that their intentions were what they are claiming to be. The public needs to be aware that when these kinds of groups sell clothing or gear to raise money, the proceeds may not always be going towards charitable organizations as they claim."

Elder says that criminal motorcycle gangs have a history of engaging in illegal drug trafficking and money laundering schemes. He adds that if the public does come across anything out of the ordinary, they are always welcome to bring their concerns to the police service.

"We rely a lot on the public, so if anyone sees something that they want to make us aware of, we would definitely be appreciative of them letting us know."

So far, the Moose Jaw chapter of the Heretics has not done anything to hit the radar of the Moose Jaw Police Service and Elder hopes it stays that way.

"By all accounts, they are just a motorcycle enthusiasts group but if their behaviour changes to include a criminal element, well will definitely be on top of them."

Discover Moose Jaw reached out to representatives from the Heretics Motorcycle Club for comment but recieved no response before publication.

In the past, Moose Jaw has been no stranger to criminal motorcycle gangs, most notably with the Rebels in the late 1990s. The Rebels operated a clubhouse on Home Street East during the turn of the century before the gang was dispersed by the Moose Jaw Police Service.