St. John's Mob Squad doesn't worry RNC, prison officials

Officials with Her Majesty's Penitentiary and the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary in St. John's say they're not worried about a gang that has formed in the prison.

News of the gang, which brands themselves as the St. John's Mob Squad, became public this week when inmates from HMP appeared in provincial court in St. John's.

RNC Insp. Pat Roche said police aren't concerned the gang poses a threat.

"I don't think we have concerns that this is a gang — this are a group of individuals who are calling themselves a gang," he said.

"We have had individuals in the past who have certainly conducted themselves in a coordinated fashion as far as criminal activity is concerned, [and] we are certainly equipped with the tools and the techniques to deal with such groups."

Roche said the members of the gang were probably known to each other before incarceration, and were likely recruiting members while in prison.

Superintendent of Prisons Graham Rogerson said gangs in the prison aren't new, and he isn't worried about the group.

"Our number one asset obviously is our staff and how we deal with this — our classification process, we have put in place different procedures, policies, [and] responses to deal with any kind of situation to make sure the prison stays as safe as possible," said Rogerson.

Despite officials saying they aren't concerned about any threat the gang may pose, there have been several incidents inside HMP involving gang members.

Two riots in the last year, one involving an attack on a fellow inmate, and an incident where eight inmates were charged with mischief all involved members of the prison gang.