Enforcement, ranging from threats to intimidation to assault to homicide, has long been an established practice within criminal networks. However, comparatively little academic research exists about the nature and role of enforcers within and beyond the context of contract killings. Drawing on qualitative interviews with criminal enforcers from two contrasting sites within the UK—the West Scotland and the West Midlands—the current study examines the articulated, identifiable pathways into criminal enforcement. Also it examines the nuanced nature of enforcement and the roles those men commonly adopt within the context of organised crime, as well as the relationship between these men’s activity, the wider context of organised crime, and presence of social and cultural capital within it. This article provides insights into how one becomes an enforcer; how contact is made between all parties involved; the degree of planning involved; and costing arrangements, with important implications for research and practice.

执法，从威胁到恐吓，从袭击到杀人，长期以来一直是犯罪网络中的一种既定做法。然而，关于合同杀戮范围内外执法者的性质和作用的学术研究相对较少。通过对来自英国两个不同地点（西苏格兰和西米德兰兹）的刑事执法人员进行定性访谈，本研究探讨了刑事执法的明确、可识别的途径。它还研究了执法的细微差别和这些人在有组织犯罪背景下通常扮演的角色，以及这些人的活动、有组织犯罪的更广泛背景以及其中存在的社会和文化资本之间的关系。本文提供了有关如何成为执法者的见解；所有相关方之间的联系方式；所涉及的规划程度；和成本安排，对研究和实践具有重要意义。