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Outgoing Kent Police and Crime Commissioner Ann Barnes says she delivered on manifesto in end of term report

Kent's first crime commissioner Ann Barnes says she has delivered on her manifesto pledges and leaves the force in a stronger position than it was when she was elected.

In a self-penned "end-of-term" report, the commissioner sets out over 18 pages the achievements she says she has made - but gives fleeting references to some of the adverse publicity caused by a number of gaffes over the period.

Elections for the next Kent crime commissioner take place in May but Mrs Barnes has decided not to stand for a second term.

Kent Police Commissioner Ann Barnes
Kent Police Commissioner Ann Barnes

To mark her departure she has released a report called My Time As Kent's Police and Crime Commissioner.

In it, she writes: "I am content that I have delivered what I said I would and that Kent Police is in a very strong and sustainable position for the future, whatever that may hold."

The report details how she has met the commitments and priorities set out on her election in 2012.

On cutting crime, she highlights her decision to commission a report on how the force recorded crimes. That revealed one in ten crimes were not properly recorded led to a culture shift and was the trigger for a national review of targets.

"What we have done is protect the frontline wherever possible... they are vital because they are a constant in their communities."

Kent police and crime commissioner Ann Barnes eventually spells her job title correctly. Picture: Channel 4
Kent police and crime commissioner Ann Barnes eventually spells her job title correctly. Picture: Channel 4

Mrs Barnes singles out the creation of a "victims and witness care advice hub" in Ashford as a major success. "Our approach is now seen as a blueprint for victims' services and I am immensely proud of that," she said.

She also highlights the opening of a state-of-the-art Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC).

And on the costs of her office, she says "even the Taxpayers' Alliance conceded my office was cheaper to run than the old police authority".

Despite the shadow of budget cuts, the out-going commissioner says the force is "well-placed to face these challenges".

Kent police commissioner Ann Barnes with youth tsar Kerry Boyd
Kent police commissioner Ann Barnes with youth tsar Kerry Boyd

However, there are few references in the report to some of the more controversial aspects of her tenure.

On the fly-on-the-wall Channel 4 TV documentary Meet The Commissioner that led her to making a public apology to the Kent Crime Panel, she says: "I was disappointed with the programme but I listened to feedback and subsequently reviewed how I engaged with the public."

There is a brief reference to her flagship policy of appointing a "youth crime commissioner".

That unravelled when her first appointment, Paris Brown, resigned just days after being given the job following a tabloid sting which exposed potentially offensive tweets.

Mrs Barnes confines herself to saying a report written by Kerry Boyd - her second appointment - "helped my office consider future engagement work" and led to the setting up of a youth advisory group.

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