Daniel Silverstone

Farmers, factories and funds: organised crime and illicit drugs cultivation within the British Vietnamese community

This article explores the growth of organised crime within the Vietnamese community with particular reference to the cultivation of cannabis, money laundering and the smuggling or trafficking of children. The article begins by exploring the history and diversity of the ‘Vietnamese community’ in the United Kingdom and the role of Vietnamese culture in shaping their criminal enterprises. It then draws on research involving two sets of qualitative data: one set is based on 45 interviews with law enforcement personnel based in Vietnam and the United Kingdom as well as with key stakeholders in the Vietnamese community; the other set is based on structured questionnaires issued to 34 Vietnamese residents in Britain, 24 of whom are here illegally. It examines the relationship between illegal immigration of Vietnamese citizens to Britain and the urban cultivation of cannabis, in what has become known as ‘cannabis factories’, and the laundering of the profits abroad to Vietnam. After exposing the logistics of Vietnamese illegal immigration into Britain, the article concludes that those involved in cannabis cultivation, money laundering and people smuggling are primarily motivated by profit rather than ‘lifestyle’ concerns, and operate within what theorists of organised crime refer to as the ‘mono-ethnic criminal network’.

From Triads to snakeheads: organised crime and illegal migration within Britain's Chinese community

This article revisits the continued existence of organised crime within the Chinese community, with particular reference to snakeheads and the trafficking or smuggling of illegal migrants. This article begins by exploring the history of Chinese organised crime within the United Kingdom and situates its continued existence within an ever more diverse ‘Chinese community’. It then draws on research involving three sets of qualitative data: one set is based on 60 interviews with law enforcement personnel based in China and the United Kingdom as well as key stakeholders within the Chinese community; the other set is based on structured questionnaires issued to 25 Chinese residents currently illegally residing in the United Kingdom; the final set is a review of the five free Chinese newspapers analysed over a 2-week period for relevant advertisements relating to migration. It then explores the mechanisms which enable illegal migrants to obtain criminal employment and discusses the motivations of those involved.

A Question of Family? Youth and Gangs

The role of the family as a key factor in encouraging gang membership and criminality is hotly debated. Recent political rhetoric in the UK has highlighted the correlation between ‘troubled families’ and the rise in youth crime and gang-related violence. This article is concerned with exploring the role of the family in the formation of gangs, gang-related criminality and desistance. The overall aim of the article is to review the research literature. It posits that the evidence that connects the family to ‘gang’ membership is far from conclusive and argues that the aetiology of gang formation and criminality cannot simply be reduced to poor home environments or ‘broken’ families.

A response to: Morselli, C., Turcotte, M. and Tenti, V. (2010) The Mobility of Criminal Groups

The degree to which organised crime groups extend their activities and influence into new geographic areas is a major concern for law enforcement officials and policymakers worldwide. Over the past decade, a number of researchers have conducted specialised studies and reviews of this phenomenon, and have offered a number of explanations of its underlying drivers. Recently, Morselli, Turcotte, and Tenti were commissioned by Public Safety Canada to prepare a report on this topic, The Mobility of Criminal Groups, which reviewed several case studies and prior commentaries and, based on an inductive (evidence-based) process, offered a conceptual framework for understanding how organised crime groups come to establish themselves (successfully or unsuccessfully) in places outside their area of origin. The current discussion article consists of a written response to Morselli et al.’s report, reflecting on their position in light of recent research on Vietnamese organised crime in the United Kingdom.

Young men convicted of firearms offences in England and Wales: an exploration of family and educational background as opportunities for prevention

Preventing and reducing gun crime1 is recognized to be a complex issue. This article draws upon interviews with 80 young men in England and Wales convicted of firearms offences. The focus of the article is on the family and educational background of these young men as a backdrop to exploring opportunities for longer-term prevention, as part of wider concerted action to reduce the use of guns in criminal activity in Britain. With a few notable exceptions, interviews with the offenders in this study illustrate that they had grown up in disrupted family environments, under-achieved and been excluded from mainstream education and had poor work histories in legitimate employment. The research also shows that the distinction between victims and offenders was blurred. The article highlights the poverty and inequality characteristics of communities where gun crime is a significant problem. It is argued that it is worth considering what is already known about family- and school-based programmes that focus on reducing violent and aggressive behaviour as part of the response to the growing problem of gun crime in Britain.

‘Forget it, Jake. It’s Chinatown’ The policing of Chinese organised crime in the UK

This article outlines the impact and changing nature of Chinese organised crime in the United Kingdom (UK). It reviews the conventional policing approaches to the problem in the UK and in China, and argues they are limited in their scope and could be substantially improved. It suggests this is possible by employing police specialists here and in-country. The evidence for the paper has been collected from interviews with the relevant law enforcement and government personnel in the UK and in China in 2010 and again in 2014–15.