In the organized crime literature, it is often said that what keeps criminals ‘organized’ and together in the absence of courts and contracts is bonds of trust (von Lampe 2016). Trust reduces uncertainty regarding the behaviour of any partners in crime. However, the literature also shows that people who tend towards criminality are rarely ‘reliable, trustworthy, or cooperative’ (Gottfredson and Hirschi, 1990, p 213), and life in crime is fraught with uncertainty, distrust, suspicion verging on paranoia, and misunderstanding (Gambetta, 1993). This chapter examines some of this, including how robberies can occur from within gangs themselves. It also explores the progression from spontaneous robberies into planned robberies with a case study of participant Gee, who had transitioned from robbing members of the general public to robbing drug users and drug dealers – including his own friends. Gee explains how robbery was a viable way for him to move up the drug distribution ladder.

Robbing Peter to pay Paul

Smartphones and social media have led to the ‘hybridization’ of street offending – that is, crime that takes place on the street but is facilitated online, and vice versa (Roks et al, 2020). For example, there has been an increase in the phenomena of ‘catfishing’, whereby someone will create a fictional persona or fake identity to lure someone into a relationship online. This term is often used in the context of online dating, but our research found it applies to robbery as well. It was not uncommon for individualsto ‘put out lines’ on the internet, meaning tempting classified ads and bargain deals, and wait for unsuspecting individuals to reply. As a youth, Gee and his friend would engage in petty theft and robbery, sometimes with their peers in tow. Robbery began opportunistically with the duo simply taking advantage of situations that made people vulnerable to crime. After experiencing the thrills and the economic gains of robbery, however, Gee and his colleague set up a more organized system whereby they would play catfish to pull in their victims. Gee explains the process: