What is his book please?

[Outforanotherwalkbitch]

I'm trying to remeber a book I read when I was 10ish. (Read it about 26 years ago, and it was an old looking book then, so published before 1983. It's about child criminal gangs in Vistoprian (or slightly later) London. The title was the name or nickname of the main character, who was a boy in one of these gangs. There was quite a lot of violence. I originally thought it was by Jack London for some reason, but can't find it on Google or Amazon, so must be wrong. Please help, it's driving me mad!
Thanks.

[LeBearPolar]

The only one I could find which fitted the description was Joe Rat but that was published in 2008 - sorry!

[LeBearPolar]

Ah - is it Smith by Leon Garfield?

[Outforanotherwalkbitch]

Yes! Thank you! Just couldn't remember the name "Leon Garfield"!