ABSTRACT
The naming and shaming of criminals can be a valuable tool against those who commit crime within the Pakistani community but the very edifice of control itself tends to protect gangs. Despite the media coverage and the growing interest in gangs there is little empirical literature on gangs in the UK and even fewer on gangs from minority ethnic communities, particularly those from the Pakistani community. Some matters are carefully hidden by those communities involved, since it is in their interest to do so. These matters tend to be ignored by outsiders and any attempt to uncover the truth would bring accusations of racism. The Pakistani sub-culture or gangs has arisen partly in response to this and the other external issues facing young people generally. Since historically, Asians have often been in British research on ethnic minorities and gangs. Historically Asians tend to be depicted as victims of crime, often of racial harassment, rather than perpetrators.
