Rogue trading/Local priorities update - Paddock Wood

Dear Residents.

Firstly I would like to mention the arrest of two males on suspicion of rogue trading offences. Louis and I were involved in the arrest of two males after Kent Police was made aware of alleged fraudulent activity at an address in Willow Lane where two men carried out a series of work at the elderly victim's home throughout July and August 2026.

It is reported that they repeatedly asked for more money and suggested additional jobs without properly completing the original work. 

We are urging anyone that believes that they have been a victim of rogue trading to come forward and report this to police, as the investigation is still ongoing. Further information on this investigation can be found by clicking the following link: https://www.kent.police.uk/news/kent/latest/policing-news/two-arrested-following-report-of-rogue-trading-in-paddock-wood/.

In regard to your local priorities set by the survey completed by residents on this platform, we have the following updates:

Road safety:

Since our last update detailing what work has gone into local priorities on 02/08/2026, a lot more work has gone into this. A further 3 vehicles and drivers have been stopped, issued tickets and had their vehicles seized for no insurance. A further vehicle was stopped and dealt with for having no MOT, and one male was stopped and issued an official warning for riding an E-Scooter. This follows Kent Police policy and should the male be stopped again riding an E-Scooter, then it will be seized and a ticket will be issued. 

Catapults:

Since our last update there has been one call to Kent Police relating to the use of catapults in Paddock Wood early on this month. Work continues to follow up on these incidents and look to seize every opportunity possible to identify those involved. I would urge anyone witnessing an incident of someone using a catapult in public to call this in on 999, as Kent Police should treat this as an emergency. 

Highway obstructions:

As previously stated, we have implemented the system that we announced in the last update in regard to poor/illegal parking. Since the start of this system on 02/08/2026, 51 drivers have been issued with warnings, whether this be in person or via letter. From those warned, one driver has breached the warning, and park illegally again. This person was issued with a ticket and a fine. Another vehicle found parked illegally on Commercial Road was found to have no insurance and was therefor seized by Louis and I. An improvement has been noted in the amount of vehicles parking illegally, especially in Commercial Road, but we will continue to proactively deal with this whenever we can. 

Kind regards,

PC Connor Geelan & PC Louis Scudder.

Beat Officer's - Paddock Wood.