I think you seriously underestimate the utter malignancy of organised crime. "Code of ethics' my arse. They all live/lived by terrorising and extorting ordinary people.
That's why I've never understood the Krays adulation thing that is still rife today. 'They only hurt their own' my arse.
Look at what I said. I didn't comment on the benevolence or otherwise of organised crime, but the fact that there were codes of conduct. For example, women and children and old people were rarely targeted The mafia generally targeted business and unions. The Krays too, ran protection rackets re local businesses and took over some businesses using threats of violence. But if you were a normal Joe going to work on the tube or subway every day, you weren't likely to be bothered by either. This does not stop them being vile organisations run by brutal and evil men, but there was a criminal code. Now, there is no low to which drug gangs in the UK and US will not stoop. Participants are psychopathic. This week, a 7 year old boy and his mum were shot in the legs as retribution. If the Krays had done that, they would quickly have lost the support of the East End population - which they did have in large measure, however misguided you may say it was.
We experienced this rather unusual situation (for us) today. A colleague at work indicated that a local geek item store sells these samurai umbrellas. Fredericton school lockdowns triggered by man with umbrella Schools locked down over possible gun sighting that turned out to be an umbrella please log in to view this image Fredericton police released these photos of a 'person of interest' they wanted to speak to about a call that led to the lockdown of four schools Friday. Later, police found the man and determined he was carrying an umbrella. The person photographed carrying what appeared to be a firearm near a high school — a sighting that triggered a lockdown of four Fredericton schools this morning — was actually carrying an umbrella, say city police after they located the man. "This image is of the umbrella that the man was carrying this morning," the police force said on its Facebook page, after the nearly three-hour lockdown ended Friday. please log in to view this image Fredericton police released this photo of an umbrella that was thought to be a firearm being carried by someone near Fredericton High School on Friday. "As you can see, it has significant resemblance to a weapon." Police received a report about 9 a.m. AT indicating a teenage boy dressed in dark clothing was carrying a firearm in a gun sock. Fredericton High School and Priestman Street Elementary School were locked down for precautionary purposes. The high school typically has a student enrolment of about 1,800. Priestman had a school population of 527 at the start of the current school year. The lockdowns also affected nearby École Ste-Anne and École des Bâtisseurs in the French school system. No students are at those two schools Friday, but teachers are present. After the lockdowns ended, Fredericton police released photos of a person they said they would like to speak to about the Friday morning call that led to the lockdowns. please log in to view this image There was a heavy police presence in the vicinity of Fredericton High School after a report of a young male carrying what appeared to be a firearm. They eventually made contact with the person carrying the umbrella. During the incident, police had said they were "taking a measured approach to deal with this situation." "We realize that during incidents like these, the public's worry and concern can be significantly heightened. "We can assure you that we take these reports very seriously, which is why we have deployed significant resources at this time." http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/fredericton-school-lockdown-1.3274155
