New probe into police commissioner’s car case

pfrancis@thekmgroup.co.uk A watchdog is investigating whether a PC was obstructed in his duties while investigating whether Kent police commissioner Ann Barnes had proper car insurance.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission issued a statement this week about the widening of its inquiry following the commissioner’s crash in September.

Mrs Barnes, who is based at Kent Police headquarters in Maidstone, was driving her softtop Mercedes at the time of the prang in Dartford.

The widening of the inquiry is further unwelcome news for the 69-year-old commissioner, who has endured criticism over a string of high-profile gaffes since taking office in 2012, including a disastrous appearance in fly-onthe-wall TV documentary Meet The Commissioner and the failure of the county’s first youth commissioner.

The IPCC statement said: “The IPCC is investigating whether the police and crime commissioner for Kent, Ann Barnes, may have committed a criminal offence by not having in place appropriate insurance to cover business use of her own car when she was involved in a road traffic accident on September 16, 2014.

“The investigation will also determine how long the relevant insurance was not in place, if that is the case, and how many miles the PCC travelled on business use while uninsured.

“The IPCC is also investigating whether a police constable was obstructed in the execution of their duty when initial enquiries in the PCC’s insurance cover were being made by Kent Police.”

The inquiry began several weeks ago but is apparently taking longer to complete than had originally been envisaged.

The beleaguered commissioner, who Prime Minister David Cameron criticised for not “making a very good fist of her job”, has steadfastly refused to comment on the case.