Do you know your local "gangster"?

[Pale Rider]

Plus, accepting help from such people makes you beholden to them - an uneasy position to get yourself into, I would've thought. Gangsters are seldom noted for their altruism. When will it be payback time, and what 'pay' will be required?

True in some cases, although the gangsters referred to in this thread might more accurately be described as local hardmen.

There was no racketeering in the case of the guy I knew.

Publicans were free to avail themselves of his services or not.

Most in the town centre pubs did, because the yobbos knew which pubs were paying the gangster and which were not.

Those who weren't ran the risk of being seen as a soft target.

Payments were made weekly, a walk-through to show the face and to collect the money.

One of my best mates at the time was a publican.

He told me the gangster also offered a one off 'pay as you go' service to those he liked.

My mate was in that category, having known the gangster from when both were at school.

 

[Roadhump]

True in some cases, although the gangsters referred to in this thread might more accurately be described as local hardmen.

There was no racketeering in the case of the guy I knew.

Publicans were free to avail themselves of his services or not.

Most in the town centre pubs did, because the yobbos knew which pubs were paying the gangster and which were not.

Those who weren't ran the risk of being seen as a soft target.

Payments were made weekly, a walk-through to show the face and to collect the money.

One of my best mates at the time was a publican.

He told me the gangster also offered a one off 'pay as you go' service to those he liked.

My mate was in that category, having known the gangster from when both were at school.

Sounds like a bit of a (protection) racket to me.

 

[Pale Rider]

Sounds like a bit of a (protection) racket to me.

It wasn't because it was genuinely optional.

No pressure was put on any publican to pay for the service.

Most city centre pubs did pay for some sort of security, but not all went with the bloke I knew.

For example, when Wetherspoons opened they sorted their own security.

Neither was the business particularly underhand or shady.

Mention has been made earlier in the thread of signs on gates.

As his business flourished, my bloke did the same - put signs on the doors of the pubs he covered which included his real surname and a phone number, albeit a mobile.

 

[Davos87]

God it stinks of testosterone this thread.
I must be very fortunate.......you could have a reign of terror where I live with a balloon on a stick.

 

[swee'pea99]

Sounds like a bit of a (protection) racket to me.

I think the key point with a protection racket is unless you pay Mr Hardman, Mr Hardman will bust up your gaff. This doesn't seem to qualify.

 

[Drago]

I'm hard as nails me. Put salt in me lentil soup.

 

[Roadhump]

It wasn't because it was genuinely optional.

No pressure was put on any publican to pay for the service.

Most city centre pubs did pay for some sort of security, but not all went with the bloke I knew.

For example, when Wetherspoons opened they sorted their own security.

Neither was the business particularly underhand or shady.

Mention has been made earlier in the thread of signs on gates.

As his business flourished, my bloke did the same - put signs on the doors of the pubs he covered which included his real surname and a phone number, albeit a mobile.

Fair comment, I hold my hands up, I didn't read your first post closely enough and missed the optional bit. Your guy was operating a security service, and along the lines you describe, it seems a quite legitimate doors / bouncer business, which often attracts those of a hard man ilk. My experience is that the doors business is very fertile ground for ancillary criminality of many forms, even though it is far more regulated than it used to be. I am sure in some areas such businesses work well, and people are free to choose their own firm and they all get along quite peacefully, but the cynic in me suspects that threats and intimidation to keep doors or acquire new ones won't be uncommon, between firms and licensees, and between competing firms.

 

[Pale Rider]

Fair comment, I hold my hands up, I didn't read your first post closely enough and missed the optional bit. Your guy was operating a security service, and along the lines you describe, it seems a quite legitimate doors / bouncer business, which often attracts those of a hard man ilk. My experience is that the doors business is very fertile ground for ancillary criminality of many forms, even though it is far more regulated than it used to be. I am sure in some areas such businesses work well, and people are free to choose their own firm and they all get along quite peacefully, but the cynic in me suspects that threats and intimidation to keep doors or acquire new ones won't be uncommon, between firms and licensees, and between competing firms.

I agree.

I can only comment with any authority on the bloke I know, and even then I'm not privy to most of his business dealings.

He was generally well-liked by publicans and the ordinary people of the town who knew him, not least because of incidents such as the one where he sorted the yobbos for the elderly woman.

He was also vehemently anti-drugs, and very keen on old-fashioned values such as respect for older people.

Hence my other story, where he made the yobbo apologise to the publican.

He also achieved almost cult status when he repelled an attempt by Newcastle hardman Viv Graham - since murdered - to take over, or at least expand into, Sunderland.

You may be aware the hatred of Newcastle by some Sunderland people runs much deeper than football.

Such people were delighted to think their man had seen off the Tynesider.

 

[Dec66]

FTFY

What does testosterone smell like?

 

[steveindenmark]

My brother has owned a garage for the past 40 plus years. It astonishing the type of people he knows. If you need something sorting, he knows just the man. He also rides with the local Hells Angels chapter. But he is such a nice guy

 

[Mr Celine]

[QUOTE 4650666, member: 9609"]It also astounds me how anyone can even have the tiniest bit of admiration for these vile thugs, and yet for some bizarre reason society seems to put them onto some sort of pedestal. TV, film and song glorify them on a regular basis - no wonder people act the way they do.[/QUOTE]

Remind me again, what was it that reivers did for a living?

 

[Drago]

He's a debt collector by day, bouncer by night

 

[Tim Hall]

What does testosterone smell like?

Rather like bullsh*t, with overtones of bravado.

 

[Smokin Joe]

My brother has owned a garage for the past 40 plus years. It astonishing the type of people he knows. If you need something sorting, he knows just the man. He also rides with the local Hells Angels chapter. But he is such a nice guy

I briefly worked for an east end car dealer years ago, one of the many who operated from a portacabin on the numerous bomb sites still around in London at the time. Those guys at the bottom end of the market did used to "Know" people, decent coves if your face fitted, but not guys you'd mess with.

 

[Dec66]

Rather like bullsh*t, with overtones of bravado.

I was hoping to be able to find out for myself, but unfortunately I don't have a spine like a cat.

I'd probably be the happiest chap in the world if I had.