Gangs of Britain: The Faces Who Run British Organised Crime

by Wensley Clarkson

Today's gangsters are a far cry from their earlier counterparts. The godfathers of old were seen by many as a stabilizing influence; their power inspired respect and they kept the underworld in check. Gangs of the 21st century have spread their brutality far and wide. The old crimes of prostitution and extortion are being dropped in favor of multi-million dollar drug deals, bringing gangsters more money and power than ever before. It is a cut-throat industry that is conducted in the shadows and driven solely by profit. Acclaimed true crime author Wensley Clarkson has met many of Britain's richest and most powerful gangs. In this fascinating and gripping account, he provides an extraordinary insight into the dark and glamorous underworld of British organized crime. His investigation leads to the shocking conclusion that crime is perhaps the third largest industry in the UK.

Genres: Crime

288 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2008

Reviews

[Tom Benson]

Anybody with a basic understanding of the subject can write a true crime book, but few can do so with the authority of Wensley Clarkson. 'Gangs of Britain' takes you behind the scenes, to meet the real hard men, and on some occasions women, who have spent time at the heart of gangland.
It's one thing to see violence on the large or small screen, but to read about the real criminals and their escapades really eclipses the screenplays.
Mr. Clarkson introduces the reader to men who came up through the ranks of teenage violence, petty crime, and simple loyalties; right up to the high flyers and drug barons of modern day gangland.
During my upbringing in Glasgow I saw the new gangsters of the time, when they were teenagers. The signs are there from early on, just as surely as the signs of success in any type of career.
In this book, the men and women are real, and so are the incidents that are related. You don't need to stretch your imagination - just read and believe.

[Walt]

Is there a difference between gangs and organized crime?

Clarkson introduces readers to a large number of underworld characters operating in Great Britain in the 1980s and 1990s. Some of them are definite gangsters, like Jimmy Moody, the enforcer for the old Richardson Brothers. A few others, like the A-Team and the Arifs operate more like organized crime with a diverse portfolio. However, the majority of the people mentioned in the book look like they are tied to drugs, rather than multiple lines of crime. Some of them do not appear to be major players in the underworld either. So, it comes back to how does Clarkson define organized crime?

When I think of gangs in Britain, I immediately think of the Krays, Richardsons, and Mad Frank Fraser. They were involved in all sorts of crimes. They had firms (gangs) and manors (territory). The Adamses and Arifs bear a strong resemblance to these old villains. And Clarkson gives them larger chapters. The same is difficult to say about Luisa Bolivar, Josie Daly, or John Palmer. Clarkson seems to struggle to offer evidence that Bolivar was the British rep for the Cali Cartel. And yet, she bungled her first major gangland killing. Really? The Cali Cartel? Daly, the medical student turned madam? And Goldfinger - John Palmer - the con man? Where are the gangs, much less the organized crime?

It is harder to describe Kenny Noye and John Lloyd. Neither name is recognizable like the Krays; but Clarkson argues that both of them surpassed the Krays in success. How does one define success? Both of them appear in the book as master criminals; but Clarkson does not provide any evidence that they had any regular rackets, associates, or territory. One or both of them may have been involved in the legendary Brinks-Mat gold robbery in 1983. Of all the people convicted in the robbery, Noye is the only one mentioned in this book. Noye's role was also post-robbery. How does he fit into this crime, much less the underworld beyond the robbery? Clarkson offers less for other criminals, like Roddy McLean and Andrew Billimore. Clarkson says both of them are major drug traffickers, but both were convicted in disappointing (and minor) drug cases.

Overall, this is the first book that I have read about the Adams or Arif Families. It also offers some good insight into gangsters like James Moody and Paul Ferris. Lesser known hard men like Noye and Lloyd are harder to fit into the category without discussing the organization of the underworld in 1990 Britain. Only in the conclusion does Clarkson observe that there are native British gangs (Adams), Turkish groups (Arif), Yardies (barely mentioned in the book), and new Russian criminals (also barely mentioned). How they work together or independently is not discussed. Their activities are limited to either robberies or drugs, so are they thugs with uzis or organized criminals? Who knows?

[Tom Minney]

Author Wensley Clarkson has extensive knowledge of the gangsters of the past, and knows many personally and has written a great many books on the subject. The structure is anecdotes, following the lives of key kingpins, such as Kenny Noye (due to be released in August 2019 after 19 years in jail). The book is excellent in giving a well-balanced view of how deeply entwined organized crime is in the police and justice systems in UK and elsewhere.
The new edition has added a couple of chapters on crime since the earlier 2008 edition, so much of the action is from the 1990s. The new chapters include interviews with a drugs "mule" about her gang of couriers, and too short an overview on the county lines with a chilling breakdown of the drugs trade overtaking Norwich and its effects.
Its a great read if you want to know more about the stories behind the headlines, and show the scale of the battle that police face as the drugs trade pours ever more resources into crime, while technology makes networks more secretive.
I also recommend his author website and the interviews on Clarkson's YouTube channel, where many of his characters tell their real-life stories.

[Carl Sweeting]

This is a terribly written book. The author needs to go on a writing course. Reading it is like listening to Danny Dyer pretending to be gangster. A cockney monologue of the author romanticising and fawning over age old lags and losers. Annoyingly several parts of the book are repeated. I would suggest reading the biographies of the people in this book than the brief summaries here.

[Kalle Wescott]

Quickreview: Poorly written but fascinating.
__________

It was fun to read a book in British slang, about blaggers (thieves) getting nicked (busted) for a five-stretch (5-year jail sentence), and those selling puff (weed) and Charlie (coke) with protection from bent coppers (bribed policemen).

[Nicola Robson]

Could not get into this book

[Angeli]

dnf - how the criminals were described seemed glamorised and idolised, just didn't get into it.

[Jessica Shelton]

DNF

[Julie Berzins]

This is an interesting subject and I have enjoyed other books by Wensley Clarkson, but something about this one just rubbed me the wrong way. The author writes too much in British slang, trying to sound like one of the people he's writing about, trying to be an accepted peer. While I enjoy reading slang where appropriate, in context, in quotes by the subjects, or with an explanation of the term, in this book it seems to be used so much that it gives off the vibe of someone desperate to be one of the group. Wensley Clarkson at times almost seems in awe and fawning over the subjects he writes about like they're heroes. It does take away from the sense of neutrality he tries to show when he also interviews law enforcement on the subject.
Like with his other books I have read, I was left wanting more information from the chapters. I felt no more informed than what would be replicated with word on the street, no facts/figures or evidence provided to back up his statements, which given that most of the gangs he talked about were from the 80's & 90's he most definitely had the benefit of hindsight and details to have used. I get the feeling that the author has great contacts and the ability to interview and talk to so many interesting people on so many subjects that he just writes down what he's told and does no further in depth research into the validity of those claims or the subjects themselves. There would be a wealth of information out there for those with access to it for the criminals who've spent years in jail - police reports, psych reports, criminal court transcriptions, facts & figures, yet the book states a claim, estimates and just parrots what the subject themselves have said. 
Books are interesting but I just want more substance.

[Edward]

Not much to see here