Frome Kent Police - PC Steve Putland

Some of you may already be aware (by the power of Facebook) that there have been some cold caller/doorstep sellers in New Romney and Lydd today (23/09/2024). They are also known as ‘Nottingham Knockers’ as this is where they were originally believed to have started.

We received a call from a resident with concerns about a chap who they answered the door to and he stated that he was an ex-convict and he was quite confrontational, fortunately the resident didn't buy anything from him and made it clear that he wasn't welcome.

Whether he was an ex-convict or not is neither here nor there so there was no need for him to mention it but the reason doorstep callers like him do is that they say that they are trying to make a living after being in prison and this is what the probation service encourage them to do, THIS IS NOT THE CASE.

Quite often the items they are selling are overpriced and the sellers can be pushy and can make residents feel under duress to buy something just so that they leave.

You also don't know the origin of these items which could potentially be stolen so please don't buy anything.

Don't worry if you have bought something from a doorstep seller because we all make mistakes or if you're happy with your purchase then that's fine although it only encourages them to return and it could also be funding criminality.

Please always check who is at your door before you open it, if you're not sure, don't open the door and politely tell them that you don't need anything.

If they don't leave and you feel intimidated or threatened then please ring 999.

If they do leave without issue it's always worth broadcasting it on social media so that other residents are aware and/or reporting this via the Kent Police website or dial 101 if you haven't got internet access and you can always let me know at 13183@kent.police.uk but this is after you've reported it via the website/101.