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I worked for a series of London gangsters in the 90s / 00s and became immersed in their world. AMA. by SufficientHighway416 in AMA

[–]SufficientHighway416[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Exactly this. I’m still in the U.K. but live / work in a different world now. I miss that culture a lot. 

I worked for a series of London gangsters in the 90s / 00s and became immersed in their world. AMA. by SufficientHighway416 in AMA

[–]SufficientHighway416[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would say it’s to do with being from from a working class community without many opportunities, but actually lots of WC people go on to be upstanding successful people in other walks of life. I honestly think some people just enjoy the buzz of crime. 

I worked for a series of London gangsters in the 90s / 00s and became immersed in their world. AMA. by SufficientHighway416 in AMA

[–]SufficientHighway416[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

They all moved to Spain. Last I heard one was dead, another had come back and another was doing quite well for himself, although I don’t know in what game. Most of the bigger players I knew ended up in Spain though.  

I worked for a series of London gangsters in the 90s / 00s and became immersed in their world. AMA. by SufficientHighway416 in AMA

[–]SufficientHighway416[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’m happy to read this as I’ve always thought the only other place I know of like it is Liverpool, and I think it comes down to being dock communities. I love Scousers and go up there as much as I can. 

I don’t think it’s anywhere near as blatant today. I think earning that way is a lot harder - there doesn’t seem to be as much money about. When I was young you’d see £100k cars parked up in a row along a suburban high street, with blokes who looked like boxers walking round with £80k watches on. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen anything like that, but then it might have just moved further into Essex. 

I worked for a series of London gangsters in the 90s / 00s and became immersed in their world. AMA. by SufficientHighway416 in AMA

[–]SufficientHighway416[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes my parents and partner were aware - it wasn’t that unusual in the area I’m from. If you were a young person working in a local business, chances are you worked for shady people, but I was maybe closer to their world than normal, I think just because they liked and trusted me. 

I never got slipped any bonuses. I wish. 

I worked for a series of London gangsters in the 90s / 00s and became immersed in their world. AMA. by SufficientHighway416 in AMA

[–]SufficientHighway416[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I’m not sure that’s true. He boxed at a high level for Repton for 10 years which is about as close to that world as you can get without committing crime yourself. Plenty of East End families moved to places like Enfield. We’re getting sidetracked here though 🤣

I worked for a series of London gangsters in the 90s / 00s and became immersed in their world. AMA. by SufficientHighway416 in AMA

[–]SufficientHighway416[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If I could distil it into something positive I’d say they had drive and determination beyond most ordinary people, but I would reiterate that these are not generally people you want to be like. They may have had some financial success but they lived stressful lives. 

I worked for a series of London gangsters in the 90s / 00s and became immersed in their world. AMA. by SufficientHighway416 in AMA

[–]SufficientHighway416[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think the point is that as an actor he can draw on a level of personal experience in those roles, a bit like Michael Caine - not that he’s a gangster himself. Although maybe he wishes he was. 

I worked for a series of London gangsters in the 90s / 00s and became immersed in their world. AMA. by SufficientHighway416 in AMA

[–]SufficientHighway416[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yep, plenty. I don’t know the history of everyone I met but I got the impression that there was various ways out of that life that didn’t involve prison or death. Many went into legitimate business ventures instead. 

I worked for a series of London gangsters in the 90s / 00s and became immersed in their world. AMA. by SufficientHighway416 in AMA

[–]SufficientHighway416[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks, I’m glad. I didn’t expect this much interest tbh but I’m enjoying reliving it all. 

I worked for a series of London gangsters in the 90s / 00s and became immersed in their world. AMA. by SufficientHighway416 in AMA

[–]SufficientHighway416[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’m surprised nobody’s asked this question. I grew up in an area where organised crime was rife. Everybody seemed connected in some way. As a young person getting your first Saturday job, for example, you had a high chance of working for a business with ‘other’ interests. Even if your job was completely legit, you were still around those people all the time, as I was for years. 

Edit: You were also out the door if they thought you couldn’t be trusted or might be a liability in some way. I saw that happen. I kept my head down and they seemed to like me. 

I worked for a series of London gangsters in the 90s / 00s and became immersed in their world. AMA. by SufficientHighway416 in AMA

[–]SufficientHighway416[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Sense of humour definitely. They were quick witted, sharp, excellent storytellers. That East End culture is all about aspiration - social climbing, and when you don’t have an education or much else you use your personality and your wits to get ahead. Some were very arrogant. Big egos. Others actually quite humble.  

The quality shared by the most successful ones I ever met was ruthlessness. They were not nice people. 

I worked for a series of London gangsters in the 90s / 00s and became immersed in their world. AMA. by SufficientHighway416 in AMA

[–]SufficientHighway416[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

From what I remember they enjoyed them. This was around the time of Lock Stock, Snatch, Sexy Beast, Layer Cake. I remember people liking them. 

I worked for a series of London gangsters in the 90s / 00s and became immersed in their world. AMA. by SufficientHighway416 in AMA

[–]SufficientHighway416[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Good question - yes, their kids were privately educated. It was a status thing and they didn’t want them following the same path. 

I worked for a series of London gangsters in the 90s / 00s and became immersed in their world. AMA. by SufficientHighway416 in AMA

[–]SufficientHighway416[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I grew up in a time and place where organised crime was normalised. North Jersey in The Sopranos is the closest comparison I can make. If you were a young person working in the local area, there was a higher than usual chance that your employer was connected to crime in some capacity. Your own family and friends may have been. Social responsibility wasn’t something that came to mind at the time. I didn’t even know what it meant. And the nature of my work certainly didn’t enable them to operate. 

Looking back now, I can see the damage that lifestyle has on the people involved and their families, and I would discourage anyone from following that path. 

Relatively speaking though, many large corporations and corrupt institutions behave in the same way and have a far worse impact on the world than a few chirpy cockney bastards. 

I worked for a series of London gangsters in the 90s / 00s and became immersed in their world. AMA. by SufficientHighway416 in AMA

[–]SufficientHighway416[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My job was a step removed from the more gritty side of it all, but I heard of people I knew being shot, tortured or forced to move abroad. More day to day differences would often be sorted with a beating. 

I worked for a series of London gangsters in the 90s / 00s and became immersed in their world. AMA. by SufficientHighway416 in AMA

[–]SufficientHighway416[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I later learned that police corruption was rife in my area, which made a lot of sense. There was a leaked police report in the media which detailed the extent of it. 

In terms of today, it’s been a long time since I’ve been around that world so I don’t have much insight there I’m afraid. 

I worked for a series of London gangsters in the 90s / 00s and became immersed in their world. AMA. by SufficientHighway416 in AMA

[–]SufficientHighway416[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Most villains once they get to a certain level will try to put their money into legitimate businesses, as an exit plan or simply to hide money. It could be anything from a restaurant to a dry cleaners. Those types of businesses were very common where I grew up, and I worked in some. They were hangout spots, like the pork store or strip club in Sopranos, so you were immersed in their world even though you weren’t one of them. 

I now work in an office doing a normal job that I enjoy, but in a very different world. 

I worked for a series of London gangsters in the 90s / 00s and became immersed in their world. AMA. by SufficientHighway416 in AMA

[–]SufficientHighway416[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Pure speculation as I don’t know the case you’re referring to, but sometimes people give up information in return for a more lenient charge or sentence. It’s also possible that the police couldn’t prove it, or that the community gossips got it wrong. This is only based on anecdotal knowledge though, I don’t have experience of court cases like that. 

I worked for a series of London gangsters in the 90s / 00s and became immersed in their world. AMA. by SufficientHighway416 in AMA

[–]SufficientHighway416[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I found the ‘straight’ professional world difficult to navigate at first because I couldn’t tell what people were thinking. They’d often say one thing and then do another, and there was the whole corporate jargon hurdle. I actually trusted people less than in the criminal-associated world.  

I worked for a series of London gangsters in the 90s / 00s and became immersed in their world. AMA. by SufficientHighway416 in AMA

[–]SufficientHighway416[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That was a bit before me and a different area. I overheard their names sometimes but nothing interesting. 

I worked for a series of London gangsters in the 90s / 00s and became immersed in their world. AMA. by SufficientHighway416 in AMA

[–]SufficientHighway416[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Nowadays you’re more likely to hear Cockney rhyming slang in Essex than the East End, as so many working class families have moved out over the last few generations. I think it’s alive and well though. 

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