16. The Elephant and Castle Mob led to the creation of organized female crime
By the end of the 19th century, London found itself divided into territories dominated by criminals and gangs operated by men. Other British cities, especially heavily industrialized Manchester and the port city of Liverpool operated in the same manner. The gangs controlled their territories with iron hands, to the point they demanded tribute to small-time criminals who operated within their territory. Yet one area persisted in which the gangs failed to gain a significant foothold. Shoplifting remained the purview of women, largely because women did nearly all of the shopping. A male in working men’s clothes standing at the counter at Selfridge’s instantly drew the attention of store clerks and staff, and not in a manner aimed to please the customer. Those viewed suspiciously were not left unattended for a moment. Meanwhile, expensive goods which could bring large profits through sales to fences remained just out of reach.
In the custom of the day, patrons determined to be desirable, such as women of means, were allowed to browse about the counters without being importuned by overeager salesclerks. If such a customer desired assistance she simply asked for it, and a clerk was assigned to help her. Women of apparent means, as displayed by their dress and appearance, simply wandered the store unattended, allowing them to conceal in voluminous skirts merchandise of diverse types and values. At the turn of the 20th century, one of London’s most notorious male gangs, the Elephant and Castle Mob allied itself with what remained of the 40 Elephants female gang. The latter became more formally organized and active in the West End, concentrating their efforts on shoplifting. They sold their take through fences controlled by the Elephant and Castle Mob. Female organized crime in London soon reached new heights.
