...and particularly how people seem to attach a sense of kudos about having known them or been involved with them.

I remember living in Manchester around the time of Dessie Noonan's death and suddenly everyone was talking about how they knew the family, or they had such and such a link to the gangsters.

And anyone who has ever worked in a real pub in East London will know that all men over 40 who hang around in pubs seem to have worked for the Crays at some point.

In a way I guess it's not that surprising, but on the other hand you get the impression that these people just want to big up their gangland credentials even though they don't really aspire to have any in the first place, because it makes them real or something.

I don't know, is this a thing?

Or any other stories about gangsters, just post em.