Outlaw Motorcycle Gang Related Crime in Germany: Prohibition of Biker Jackets As an Approach to Prevention

Outlaw Motorcycle Gang related crime in Germany:

Prohibition of biker jackets as an approach to prevention

Ina Klopp (Criminological Research Institute of Lower Saxony, Hanover)

On March 16th 2017 the amendment of the act of association became effective. Ever since the members of rocker clubs are not allowed to wear their biker jackets in public if one chapter/charter of their club has been banned. In addition to that they are not allowed to use their symbols at clubhouses and on webpages. Up to now it was possible that the clubs wear biker jackets with symbols of the club or the emblems in spite of the prohibition of a particular chapter/charter. It was only not allowed to wear a biker jacket with the name of a forbidden chapter/charter on it. The amendment is an approach to prevention against “Outlaw Motorcycle Gang crime in Germany”.

In January 2017 the Criminological Institute of Lower Saxony started a research project, investigating “Outlaw Motorcycle Gang crime“. The project is funded by the European Union fund for internal security. The contributed presentation informs about first results of interviews with experts. It should illustrate how experts, especially police and prosecution experience the prohibition of biker jackets, which effects it has on their work and which difficulties exist.