Green’s Dictionary of Slang

creeping law n.

[SE creep (creep v. (2), while logical, is too late) + law n.]

(UK Und.) robbery carried out by minor thieves, concentrating on ‘suburban’ homes (i.e. those outside the City walls).

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[UK]Greene Disputation Betweene a Hee and a Shee Conny-Catcher (1923) 41: The creeping Law of petty theeues that rob about the Suburbes.