RT Article T1 Who are the enforcers? The motives and methods of muscle for hire in West Scotland and the West Midlands JF Trends in organized crime VO 25 IS 1 SP 108 OP 129 A1 Rahman, Mohammed A2 McLean, Robert A2 Deuchar, Ross 1968- A2 Densley, James A. 1982- LA English YR 2022 UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1794678840 AB 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. K1 Violence K1 Organised Crime K1 Hitman K1 Enforcement K1 Debt collecting K1 Bourdieu, Pierre DO 10.1007/s12117-020-09382-y