Police efforts to thwart a Hells Angels meetup in Lethbridge won’t deter the group from planning future events there, said a Calgary member.

About 150 Hells Angels from around the province were scheduled to meet in Lethbridge the weekend of Aug. 22.

Police caught wind of the gathering and spoke to staff at the hotel where the group planned to stay and had booked a banquet meal.

“We also spoke to bars and made them aware,” said Mike Tucker with the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT).

He said under provincial legislation, police are able to remove criminals, gang members or gang associates from licensed establishments and in this case, they wanted to inform area bars that they wouldn’t hesitate to do so.

“We took some proactive steps to disrupt (the Hells Angels’) planned activities,” said Tucker.

“I definitely say we disrupted their activity.”

Police took the steps “in the interest of public safety,” said Tucker.

The Hells Angels ended up changing their plans and convened at a clubhouse in Red Deer instead, said Randall Irons of the Calgary charter.

While police trying to deter the group from certain places is fairly common, Irons said “bullying” bar owners in order to help do so is a step too far.

“When they do that, they’re no longer being a police force, they’re overstepping their bounds,” said Irons.