She will not allow the gang phenomenon to pass as' media hype'as some of the Left would like, nor as the cutting edge of the antiracist movement as others would prefer. But nor will she allow it to be portrayed as a kind of a vicious mafia, indigenous to the Asian community, a picture which would suit the racist police response. Her understanding of the gang phenomenon is based on many, often conflicting, elements, and on a respect for the boys themselves who she sees neither as helpless victims of'the system', nor as romantic defenders of their community.

Unlike most other analysts, Pragna Patel looks at how the established leadership of the Asian community views the gangs and at the relationship between the police and that leadership.'The police,'she says,'are too busy" liaising''with the power brokers within our communities who are more interested in playing off some sections of the community against others.'There are no easy solutions. When we raise the demands of women, we are only too aware of the implications both for women and other sections of our society. If we raise difficult and complex issues it is not because we regard the interests of women as a sectional interest to set against everyone else. We believe that by illuminating the problems women face we will shed light on all of society in general. We have no easy answers, but only with absolute honesty and compassion can we begin to grope towards a solution.'(p. 54)