DNA

London, Aug 9: An underworld economy worth billions run from jail by dons – sounds like Mumbai or India, but in fact it is actually happening in tolerant, liberal Britain. An intelligence map drawn by leading police experts have identified more than 1,000 active criminal networks, with at least 27 ‘Mr Bigs’ running their empires from inside British jails.

These crime bosses run their networks by mobile from the prison cells.

Interestingly, the criminal network is still controlled by British families, despite the influx of syndicates from Eastern Europe and South-East Asia, with an underworld economy worth £40 billion. “British gangs are quite unlike the Italian mafi model or the Turkish groups. There are no set ranks, rules and structures. They are more fluid, flexible and opportunist,” said deputy chief constanble John Murphy.

More than 15,000 individuals are said to have been identified as involved in organised crime. London has more than 170 gangs operating. All the other cities have their own criminal networks led by homegrown families making money through drug deals, robberies and smuggling. Bradford, with its large Asian population, is the only place that is run by British Asian gangs.  It is a centre for money laundering and a distribution point for heroin by British Pakistani gangs.