BOOK REVIEW: GANGS OF LONDON (100 YEARS OF MOB WARFARE)

Brian McDonald examines how extensively London was affected by gang’s violence/mob warfare. Brian McDonald also examines the ways in which these gangs started out and developed their lifestyle of criminality. The struggles that the Police and judiciaries had in preventing and tackling these organised crime groups was also researched well. The power and control displayed by gangs such as the Sabinis in the racecourse wars was also discussed as well as looking at the shifting patterns of how gangs have changed over time.

Brian McDonald was born in 1937 and grew up in South London. His motives for the book stemmed from the fact that both his uncles were leaders of the notorious Elephant and Castle gang. As well as writing gangs of London, McDonald also wrote the book – Elephant boys which is now at the top of my reading list. His personal experiences deep-rooted in his own family inspired him to research further and write a very informative book, which I would say is essential for anyone studying Youth Crime and changes of gang culture over time.

As a reader if this book, I felt that by drawing on his own experiences, Brian McDonald had a lot of empiricism to draw conclusions from. He in my opinion excellently explored London gang culture, focusing on what gang life involved in terms of its business-like structure, hierarchy and impact on the wider communities. He also explored not just the Elephant and Castle gangs but Italian originated gangs in London such as the Sabinis and other gangs such as the Brummagem. Collectively they helped to encompass the narrative that explored the ways in which gangs used to operate in terms of weapons, location, dress sense and motives as well as types of people who associated with gangs and fell victim to their criminal enterprise. As a reader, it allowed me to explore the ways in which gangs in the 1800s have stayed the same and changed in the 21^st century. For example, the fashion and ways of dress have changed significantly. Gangs in the 1800/1900 would typically wear smart suits, partly because this was the predominant fashion anyway of the era, but also because many of the gang members saw their lifestyle as a way of making money, it was a business and the resources they used were commodities. However, the 21^st century is an age of a Professionalised Police force with CCTV and surveillance at its disposal. The typical hooded clothing is often worn by gang members to avoid detection by the Police. The Police and authorities who arguably now have much more resources and control in terms of tackling street gangs at its epicentre.

To summarise, gangs of London- 100 years of mob warfare by Brian McDonald is well accredited and worth a read for Criminologists or anyone in fact who is interested in researching how gangs have changed over time and why these changes have been made due to societal and cultural implications, particularly in London and Birmingham.