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SPIVs and Black Market (June 2003)

Posted by B. Miller on March 01, 2005

When I was a young boy (over 70 years ago) I was told that the mid-Victorian police, who were fond of picking up people 'without visible means of support', had a charge sheet: 'Suspected Person or Itinerant Vagrant', hence SPIV. A copper might say 'I've got another SPIV 'ere sarge'!

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