Campaign Despite her opposition to the creation of the post, Barnes announced in July 2012 that she was going to contest the
police and crime commissioner election in November 2012 as an
independent candidate. She subsequently resigned from KPA with effect from 10 August 2012. During the campaign Barnes threatened legal action against
English Democrats candidate Steve Uncles over a
tweet Uncles posted about Barnes' funding. Barnes' opponents alleged that the
Liberal Democrats backed her campaign but she denied the allegations. Her campaign manager was Peter Carroll, a former parliamentary candidate for the Liberal Democrats in
Maidstone and The Weald and, twice previously, in
Folkestone and Hythe. The election took place on 15 November 2012. On a turnout of just 16.3%, Barnes was in first place after the first round of counting, receiving 95,901 votes (46.80%) – over 40,000 more than the second placed candidate,
Conservative politician
Craig Mackinlay. She was declared the winner after the second round of counting, receiving 114,137 votes (65.45%) – over 50,000 more than the second placed candidate, Mackinlay. Barnes was sworn into the £85,000-per-year police and crime commissioner role on 22 November 2012 at a ceremony held at Kent Police College in
Maidstone.
Youth PCC In April 2013, Barnes appointed 17-year-old Paris Brown as the UK's first Youth Police and Crime Commissioner, with a job of representing the views of young people in relation to policing in Kent. Brown soon faced calls to resign when news reports said she had used her
Twitter account to allegedly post offensive comments. Brown issued an apology and resigned from the position as she felt that she could no longer serve the role justice due to the media attention, saying that she was "quitting in the interests of the young people of Kent". Following Brown's departure, Kerry Boyd, 20, was appointed Kent youth crime commissioner.
The Sun newspaper disclosed a 'close friendship' between Boyd and a married former Conservative councillor; Boyd was suspended in June 2014. Barnes said that she supported Boyd but would not comment further while enquiries were taking place. Following Boyd's suspension there were calls for Barnes's resignation by Conservative MP
Roger Gale and Conservative member of the Kent police and crime scrutiny panel Andrew Bowles. The role was replaced by a Youth Advisory Group, which was made up of the local Kent County Youth Council, and the Medway Youth Parliament.
Takes over the Police Force's communications functions In April 2014, it emerged that Barnes had transferred the Kent Police communications staff to report to her rather than the
Chief Constable. Local councillors issued a statement saying "This is the police and crime commissioner's most political move since she took office and we do not believe that it will turn out to be in the best interests of the people of Kent and Medway." The decision also came under fire from COPACC, an independent group that scrutinises and monitors the work of crime commissioners. Mrs Barnes presented the change as an administrative one that was related to legislation about commissioners, rather than being intended to increase her own public relations capacity. She was criticised by members of her scrutiny body, the Police and Crime Panel, who described taking part in the documentary as "ill-advised" and said it brought the "whole force into disrepute." Kent Police distanced itself from the programme and the chair of the Kent Police Federation said that Barnes had turned Kent Police into "a laughing stock".
2016 election On 12 March 2016, Barnes announced in a blog post that she would not be standing reelection. She stated "Fifteen years – including, since 2012, service in this intense and all-consuming role – is probably long enough, and I am content that I have delivered what I said I would", adding that Kent Police was in "a very strong and sustainable position for the future". Barnes retired on 12 May 2016, when the new PCC, Conservative
Matthew Scott, was sworn in. ==References==