I've visited Liverpool once. True, Liverpool gangsters have a notorious reputation across Europe. But they really do represent a small amount of the population -which in all honesty is the case with any community. Warren was a very serious guy, but there were and are others around from the city that are just as serious. But as Jimmythepen said, the police were out to nail this guy and they will probably keep nailing him till the end of his days. The fact that he was the boss of a black criminal organization from the Toxteth area, in an underworld of mostly white crime bosses, also made him stand out. And when it comes to the underworld, both media and law enforcement have their own scapegoats. After Warren, you had James "Pancake" Taylor and his nameless partner who's dubbed "The Bird of Prey" (media is fond for inventing nicknames of almost Keyser Soze-like proportions) at the center of the attention, even though I do not know how powerful they actually were/are. In general, Liverpool has an infamous reputation for its own breed of organized crime, going back decades. And it's a reputation that has been sticking to the city ever since.

But to be honest it really is a great city. It has an undeserved reputation with people who have never even been to the city describing it as "run down", "ugly", "dangerous",...which is complete bullshit. There are a few not so nice areas of course, but the good areas far outweigh the bad ones. I was surprised at how much I liked the city when I went there. And the people are very friendly and welcoming.

There's a possibility I will be living in London next year for a couple of months. If that's the case I will surely visit the city again if I have the chance.