Police commissioner Anne Barnes reveals her plans for county ‘Every penny will go on visible policing’
POLICING of rural areas and increasing force visibility on the streets are high on the new police commissioner’s agenda. In the first of a series of “Meet the Com- missioner” roadshows, held at Maidstone’s Oakwood House, commissioner Ann Barnes promised to ensure that visible community policing was the bedrock of policing in Kent.
Answering questions from an audience of almost 150 people, Mrs Barnes reiterated her manifesto promises, which included being the most accessible and transparent commissioner in the country. She called on the people of Kent to back
her in ensuring there were no future central cuts to police funding. In response to a question from Clive Parker, from Coxheath, Mrs Barnes pledged: “I will fight tooth and nail for no more cuts to funding in this county and I am asking you to join me in making a noise about it. “We should be able to see police on the streets and feel confident that they are there.”
Sharing the platform was Kent’s deputy
chief constable Alan Pughsley, who said he had been forced to shed 900 staff in two years, which had led to significant remod-
and some get none at all. In future, with things being channelled through my office, we have a chance to see what is happening where and to pool our resources so they work best together.” Mrs Barnes admitted she was loving the challenge of her new role and said: “I have promised to fund as many police resources as possible. Every penny I can find I am going to put into visible policing.” Referring to her recent announcement that
Anne Barnes, Dep Ch Con Alan Pughsley and presenter Julie Maddox
elling of the force’s structure. He said a key to future success was in partnerships and urged more people to join neighbourhoodwatch schemes, to report in- stances of crime and to engage better with their local police. But Mrs Barnes compared the current sys-
tem of partnerships and services allied to the police as “a jigsaw with no picture on the box”. She said: “I have partners coming to see
me all the time. All have had their budgets cut – but some get a plethora of resources
60 new PCSOs were being recruited for Kent, she said: “They are the eyes and ears of the community and very valuable mem- bers of our policing community.” The commissioner also announced the launch of mini-mobile police stations whichwill travel around the county, partic- ularly into the rural areas. In the straight-talking, hard-hitting, no- nonsense two-hour question and answer session, the new commissioner tackled is- sues as diverse as assault and rape, victim support and speeding traffic. She said: “I will ensure that victims are
placed at the heart of the police and the criminal justice system and maintain a re- lentless focus on cutting crime and catching criminals.”
Paris quits after Twitter furore
THEmedia furore surrounding Paris Brown, Britain’s first youth crime commissioner, endedwith her quitting just six days after her appointment. Kent Police Commissioner
Ann Barnes, who selected Paris (17) for the county post, stood alongside her at a press conference in Maidstone to an- nounce the departure. Sheerness teenager Paris
took the decision after a row over potentially offensive tweets that she had made prior to her appointment. Paris had posted comments
on Twitter that her police bosses were unaware of, in- cluding: “I’m either really fun, friendly and inclusive when I’m drunk or I’m an anti social, racist, sexist, embarrassing a*******. Often it’s the later.”
Paris Brown faces the press Miss Brown, a Swale Bor-
ough Council apprentice, also refered to travellers as “pikeys” and immigrants as “illegals”. Mrs Barnes said the resigna-
tion was a “very sad day” and praised Miss Brown’s “moral courage” in facing the media.
She added: “I was not recruit- ing an angel, and I was not re- cruiting a police officer. I was recruiting a young person, warts and all. I think it would have been absolutely impossi- ble to have found a young per- son who had not made a silly, foolish or even perhaps a deeply offensive comment dur- ing their short lifetime.” In her resignation statement
Miss Brown apologised for her tweets, saying: “I strongly reit- erate that I amnot racist or ho- mophobic. I have fallen into the trap of behaving with bravado on social networking sites. I hope this may stand as a learning experience for many other young people.” Paris was to be paid a salary
of £15,000 per year and was se- lected from 164 applicants.
Gypsy team is back Sex crimes help vow
KENT police has re-formed its gypsy liaison team in a bid to tackle organised crime in rural areas. In response to a question from James Smith,
from Yalding, county chairman of the National Farmers’ Union, Mrs Barnes said the unit, com- prising 12 officers, was being employed to deal with serious and organised crime in diverse com- munities. The team, which reports to the force’s serious
crime directorate, had been incorporated into a larger team, covering additional areas of work. However,Maidstone’s focus on rural crime has
led to the team being resegregated into its own specialist unit again. The team’s activities include building and maintaining public confidence and trust within the travelling communities through effective liai- son and understanding. It also has a focus on tackling rural crime.
26 East
KENT is the only county in the country not to have a 24-hour seven-days-a-week dedicated sexual as- sault referral centre (SARC) – the meeting heard. Malcolm Gilbert, operations director for the charity Family Matters, described it as “a pretty poor show” that victims had to rely on “a couple of rooms open on demand” or a police safe house. The commissioner said: “I cannot think of any-
thing more horrible than a safe house when you are a victim of that kind of crime.We would like to see the North Kent centre open 24/7, not 9-4, but this is not just a matter for the police, but also for the health authority and other agencies.” Deputy Chief Constable Alan Pughsley said
Kent police was the only agency which had so far set aside funding next year for a SARC. Mrs Barnes assured: “I will be a real catalyst for
this. I will see what we can do – and I never promise unless I can deliver.”
Group takes crime fight on to Web
NEIGHBOURHOOD Watch in Maidstone is harnessing the power of the internet in the fight against crime. Police and crime commis- sioner Ann Barnes officially launched the website of the Maidstone & District Neigh- bourhoodWatch Association at the headquarters of Kent Police in Sutton Road on April 16. Sgt Stefan Martin, of Maid-
stone’s Community Safety Unit, suggested the website to im- prove support for victims of crime and the idea was em- braced by the town’s Neigh- bourhoodWatch group. Police officers will be given Neighbourhood Watch cards containing the website address to hand out to crime victims so they can easily access advice. It is also planned to sell security products at a competitive price from the site and to link up with housing providers in the town, to generate more interest in the group. The organisation, which has people of all ages on its com- mittee, is keen to distance itself from the stereotype of being there just for curtain twitchers and nosey neighbours. Its web- site contains a blog by Joshua Coupe who is a youth council- lor and journalist at Vibe Maga- zine, the magazine for the young people of Maidstone. To view Maidstone & District Neighbourhood Watch Associ- ation go to
www.maidsto-
nenhw.co.uk.
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