Kent police and crime commissioner Ann Barnes has come under fire for failing to mention a high-profile blunder in an annual report.

In it she concluded she had delivered on key commitments on policing in the county.

But discussing her self-assessment before the all-party Kent and Medway crime panel at Maidstone's County Hall today, she was quizzed over why she had neglected to mention the problems surrounding the appointment of her youth crime commissioner.

In her yearly report, which all commissioners are required to produce, Mrs Barnes - who is paid £85,000 a year - identifies more than a dozen highlights.

These include the recruitment of a new chief constable, the launch of a crime victims charter and the appointment of a youth commissioner.

It also picks out the establishment of a new referral centre in Maidstone for victims of sexual assault.

But there is no mention in the nine-page report of the disastrous Channel 4 documentary Meet The Commissioner, or the difficulties surrounding Mrs Barnes' second choice of the youth crime commissioner.

That led to a humiliating apology and the commissioner was ordered to change her style by the panel.

Today, chairman of the Kent and Medway police and crime panel, Mike Hill, told Mrs Barnes: “I find much to commend in this report and a long list of things that have gone well.

"There is a lot to be proud of here, however there have been omissions and there was one thing that did not go well.

“With the introduction of the youth commissioner there was a swarm of adverse publicity. I think you should have mentioned in your report what action you have taken.”

Mrs Barnes initially responded by saying that the incident fell outside the time-frame of the report, but quickly conceded her mistake.

She was told it had been a “significant event” in her work and that the public had a right to know about how she had dealt with it.

The commissioner will also be quizzed over the youth crime commissioner and what the post has achieved.

Leader of Maidstone Borough Council, Annabelle Blackmore said the youth tsar's work, which has involved meeting 500 young people since she took on the role in March, had been "a little bit safe."

She said: "I don't see a lot of engagement with those youngsters disengaged with school or the community - those youngsters who are more likely to be in trouble.

"It strikes me as headline grabbing."

Mrs Barnes defended Kerry Boyd, saying it was “churlish” to say she had not done a good job, and said that she was helping to improve the relationship between young people and the police.

But she was not sure if she would be appointing a successor when Miss Boyd’s term comes to an end early next year.

The report also highlights the introduction of mobile police stations, but the commissioner has faced questions over their effectiveness after an earlier progress report indicated attendance by the the public was poor.

Mrs Barnes writes in her blog about the report that she "hasn't got room for every achievement".

She continues: "Despite the distractions that sometimes come with public office, it's important to get on with the day job, to concentrate on what is important and to deliver on the promises you make.

"Significant progress was made in 2013/14 which continues to be the case this year, thanks to many different people."

Mrs Barnes was the first to be elected as Kent's police and crime commissioner in 2012, and is now halfway through her four-year term.

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