Kent Youth Police and Crime Commissioner

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Have been picking it up on radio while travelling today and just watched it on bbc news on arrival. I am actually speechless - hence oh dear, oh dear etc etc!!

give her another chance

It was months ago she tweeted that stuff.

Years, apparently. But still, you'd think they'd have uncovered stuff like that before they appointed her.

She's just the sort of person they need for the job. She's been there, done that, understands where the kids are coming from.

Bloody Mail on Sunday. Digging dirt up on a kid!

Hopefully, things will be more certain after she has completed her training. She doesn't start till August. There are many Princes Trust workers graduates who started out like this and have matured to become exemplary role models for disaffected youth.

Ironic that this thread is followed by on on Malala. Enough said.

She lives in my locality. When I first heard about it I thought, silly immature girl. Having found out it was a couple of years ago. I realize, yes she was. She can only have been 14-15 at the time.

I reserve judgement.

These tweets continued whilst she was 16 - she has only just had her 17th birthday so a recent snapshot of her views. I absolutely agree that a PCC should be engaging with young people ( and all other groups in society) but does it really make sense to take just one as a representative - what if a PCC just chose one over 60 s as a rep of all over 60s? What should be happening is a programme of consultation which covers the whole range of young people in Kent - gay, ethnic minorities, different religions, socio- economic groups, disabled . I don't buy this young people use words differently - some of the words she has chosen are not common parlance across all young people but are certainly indicative of some very prejudiced views . There are quite rightly standards expected of people in public office - known as the Nolan principles and also the public sector equality duty under the Equality Act - if she's to hold public office and receive £15k for so doing then she has to subscribe to these principles and follow this legislation

I agree with Bluebell. There was definitely an error of judgement, or lack of investigation, in appointing this young woman. She will have lost the confidence of those who may have been ready to support her, (maybe not of those whom she was to support) and from what I have read on FB from people in her area, the same will apply to the Commisioner.

On the news last night, the young woman, in years, was saying "I didn't mean it..." Hmmmm - but she tweeted it!

In tears.

I am not clear what the role of this youth commissioner is intended to be and think it might well be more of a PR stunt rather than a serious approach to tackling crime. I have no idea what experience and qualifications the grown-up Police Commissioner who appointed her has either and on what basis she decided to create this role. It all seems a bit daft to me.

I agree a panel would be more appropriate way for the PCC to liaise with young people.

I feel sorry for this lass - she is just a child really and they do silly immature things. For all this to be in the public domain leaving her open to ridicule is very sad.

The system that appointed her (presumably peopled by more mature individuals) has to take the blame and now has a responsibility to protect her interests - she is a minor.

She should not be made to suffer as a pawn in this piece of government window dressing - she is being exploited. It is disgraceful.

Schools continually have classes on this very subject warning youngsters how whatever you put on the internet or allow friends to put on the internet can come back to bite you. Parents even have numerous meetings to attend to inform them to keep a check on their kids and remind their offspring to be aware. I say yes silly girl and yes adult should have checked background and now it has to be used as a warning to all otherwise if you excuse one you just excuse all including those that still believe they are right when they clearly are not. Give someone else the job.

Silly girl - the tweets go back to when she was 14 and even sillier. I wonder what qualities she showed when she was interviewed for the position. I don't think I'd appoint an individual but a panel of youngsters from diverse backgrounds would be valuable.

If it's a PR stunt, it's a bit extravagant as she was to earn £15K a year.

Mishap I agree with you, they should have checked her background, tweets, Fb etc.before appointing her. It is common enough to check these things before appointing someone.

I don't agree with your last statement though, I don't think it has anything to do with the government, just that one PC who appointed her. I understand she is paying half the salary from her own pocket.

There would have been no point in recruiting a goody-goody little girl who was not in touch with today's youth culture. The tweets were horrible but I think she was just showing off. As they can do at that age.

Ann Barnes, the Police Commissioner who appointed Ms Brown, was interviewed on Sky yesterday and said that £5,000 of the £15,000 salary was being paid by her department. When asked whether the money was coming out of her own pocket, she ignored the question.

I agree she was just a silly girl when she posted those tweets and perhaps people are being a bit hard on her. However, I also agree that it would have been better to have a panel of young people rather than just one. It's like having one disabled person to put forward ideas relating to the disabled, with the best will in the world a person who has to use a wheelchair will not be able to relate to someone who is blind.

I think this was a PR stunt by the PCC (who I think is an independent), better she scrap the post and appoint a panel drawn from, perhaps different schools and youth groups.

j08 I certainly don't think the appointment of a a "good goody" little girl would have been desirable. I think most of us would accept that, when young - and not necessarily just when young - people do silly things. But we're not talking about getting drunk, swearing, or even taking drugs. We're talking about someone who - not that long ago - used the term "pikey" and who made homophobic and racist remarks. This young lady is meant to canvass and represent the views of young people and I wonder how she can do that when will have already alienated a number of those young people.

I do have a certain amount of sympathy for her - I think more research should have gone into her appointment and I think, as a young person, she has been badly let down. As others have said, I think a panel of young people, from diverse backgrounds, would have been a better idea.

I almost feel sorry for her, like many of her generation who only inhabit "the right now" it seems all too common to fire off anything that's currently running through their brain, without giving any consideration to the content of the post/tweet/text and how it will be received. She's certainly not alone in that, but I'm still amazed that her Twitter account wasn't checked out before she was appointed. I can't help thinking that there would be a better candidate out there in spite of grovelling apology and the obligatory tears, the latter just made her look immature and out of her depth.

You can't expect her to be that mature at seventeen.

She will have guidance.