Читать книгу Crime Bosses - John Kerr - Страница 4

Introduction

The authority of an Australian crime boss usually rests on his reputation. Some Italo-Australian and perhaps some Chinese-Australian criminal networks appoint their bosses, but most criminals simply acknowledge the personal authority of some others.

He—for Australia has been short of female crime bosses since Sydney’s 1920s—may have charisma and personal charm: many are cheerful men, generous hosts, good listeners and helpful in solving the problems of others. He may have been favoured by nature for such a role: cold commanding eyes or a body like a Mack truck for two examples. Stories told about him help him get what he wants from others, stories of his power, of his ruthlessness, victories as a street-fighting man, connections, or the ill fortune that befalls his enemies. If the boss is a man of influence, his word can influence others to stay off his back, or to ride the backs of his enemies. Such men, particularly if they have deep pockets, have the potential to harm the interests of others from a distance. All are, by one means or another, ‘heavies’. Softies do not run criminal enterprises, or not for long anyway. The potential for violence is part of the executive package, whether he is the boss of six blocks or Il Principale.

I can find no criminal masterminds, no evil geniuses, no Mr Bigs, no puppet-masters with a bevy of the city’s politicians, judges, police and other figures who suit the story, dancing on the end of his strings; outside myth, art and the imagination, I have found none. The big question is: why do so many of us cherish the illusion such men exist?

The bosses this book are Mr Big-Enoughs. Prick them, they bleed. Imprison them, they endure or they go mad. Impoverish them, they pick themselves up again or they grow old in poverty. Change the world around them, they change and cope, or they become irrelevant. Just like you.