A rare insight was given yesterday into the 1960s battle by detectives to bring to justice the notorious Kray twins. Flying Squad officers seemed powerless to stop the new breed of underworld London gangsters, according to a secret Metropolitan Police memo released by the Public Record Office.
Det Supt Tommy Butler, who pursued the East End criminals, wrote about their modus operandi in their early years. Ronnie and Reggie Kray, he wrote, lived together in Stepney, owned the Double R club, a "sink of iniquity", and the Regal Billiards Hall in Bow.
Visitors to the club were either convicted criminals or "one of the many degraded lower-class newspaper reporters seeking 'colour', 'drama' or so-called atmosphere for rubbishy news items". Mr Butler described how the twins' protection racket intimidated the owners of clubs, cafΘs, billiard halls, pubs and car dealers in the East End with the threat of violence.
"Their reputation is already such that persons threatened almost frantically deny visitations by anyone connected with the Kray twins. Not one victim can be persuaded to give evidence against anyone connected with their organisation.
"The fact that Ronald Kray is certainly mentally unstable (to put it at the very least) is of immense importance to the others, and adds considerably to the victim's undeniable urge to comply with demands made upon him, and to his atrocious memory when questioned by police . . ."
At times, Mr Butler's frustration boiled over. He was angered by the ability of the psychopathic Reggie Kray to elude justice, and by his appeal and release on bail after being sentenced to 18 months for demanding money with menaces from a Finchley shopkeeper.
In 1960 he wrote to his Chief Superintendent at New Scotland Yard: "It will be interesting to see the outcome of this appeal and its repercussions as far as the shopkeeper is concerned."
His letter was prompted by an "impertinent" warning from the Krays' "slimy" solicitors to lay off their investigations. He sounds a warning about gangland warfare between the Krays and Billy Hill, "who has for several years regarded himself (with ample cause) as leader of the criminal fraternity in London".
Ronnie died in prison in 1995 and his brother died, aged 66, from terminal cancer after 31 years in jail.