Hertfordshire police commissioner, David Lloyd, to make decision on deputy, Rachel Frosh's, future after 'ill-judged' Hitler retweet

2:30pm Tuesday 12th February 2013 in News Photograph of the Author By Ben Endley, Senior reporter

Hertfordshire police commissioner to make decision on deputy's future after 'ill-judged' Hitler retweet Hertfordshire police commissioner to make decision on deputy's future after 'ill-judged' Hitler retweet

Police Crime Commissioner David Lloyd is preparing for a showdown with his deputy after she posted a quote by Adolf Hitler on microblogging site Twitter.

Dr Rachel Frosh, a Conservative town councillor, provoked upset from other Twitter users when she retweeted a post which drew a parallel between Hitler’s National Socialist Party and socialists.

Mr Lloyd confirmed to the Watford Observer this afternoon that he had not yet spoken to his deputy - who is paid £20,000 per year for the two-day a week role - but will do so in the next couple of days.

He said: "I haven’t yet had a proper chance to have a chat with Rachel but at face value I think this is an honest but ill-judged thing.

"From what I have picked up she retweeted without properly reading it, it’s not something I would have done.

"This is not the sort of thing I would expect of my deputy and I will be seeing her in the next couple of days.

"She has got a public role, it’s a high-profile role and we all need to recognise that everything we do, even in our private lives, is open for people to scrutinise. I recognise that and so must she."

Dr Frosh initially retweeted the post on January 31 before deleting it.

However a screen shot of the tweet on her Twitter feed emerged on the social networking site this week prompting the deputy police commissioner to post an explanation distancing herself from its content.

The post said "Dear Socialists embrace your inner Nazism" and had a picture of Adolf Hilter with a quote from 1927.

But Mr Lloyd said he does not believe Dr Frosh was expressing an extreme view or in any way endorsing the Nazi leader.

He added: "I haven’t got the full context but I genuinely believe this isn’t someone with extreme views, this is someone who made an ill-judged retweet."

Dr Frosh said the post was not meant to offend modern socialists but highlighted her dislike of Hitler being associated with the right wing of the political spectrum.

She said: "It is the perils of doing a retweet. I don’t remember retweeting it. It doesn’t mean I agree with it.

"I think racist extremist parties are off on their own. They are not extreme right or extreme left, they are nowhere. They are just unacceptable.

"Basically what I am saying is that any racist party is not anything to do with any mainstream party."

When asked whether Dr Frosh would continue in her role, Mr Lloyd said he would not be making any further comment until after he had met with his deputy.

Comments(16)

LSC says...
3:38pm Tue 12 Feb 13

The Tweet thing is a storm in a teacup. I'm FAR more concerned that this was the first I had heard that the PCC had a deputy at the cost of £20k to the taxpayer, on top of his £65k plus benefits. What else have I not heard about? A PA, a secretary, a cook and a cleaner?

We don't even know what this bloke actually does yet and he is costing us a fortune.

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Vicar*o*rage says...
4:26pm Tue 12 Feb 13

Typical Tory Scum, ripping of average UK citizen to line ther own pockets. Scameron is exploits the lower toaverage imcome earner to subsidise the rich

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John Dowdle says...
4:28pm Tue 12 Feb 13

I am extremely concerned about this woman's extremist ideological views.
In equating left-wing people with Nazis, she has revealed herself as ignorant, stupid and extremist. The Nazis were mainly defeated by the Red Army - not by elements on the right-wing of politics.
Either David Lloyd appointed this woman in ignorance of her beliefs or he shares them.
Either way, not only should she be sacked but he should consider resigning too, so that a by-election can be held to elect someone better than this pathetic pair of misfits.

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Andrew Turpie says...
4:57pm Tue 12 Feb 13

John Dowdle wrote:
I am extremely concerned about this woman's extremist ideological views.
In equating left-wing people with Nazis, she has revealed herself as ignorant, stupid and extremist. The Nazis were mainly defeated by the Red Army - not by elements on the right-wing of politics.
Either David Lloyd appointed this woman in ignorance of her beliefs or he shares them.
Either way, not only should she be sacked but he should consider resigning too, so that a by-election can be held to elect someone better than this pathetic pair of misfits.
A bit of a kneejerk reaction, but to be expected within the usual left/right tiresome "he said, she said" pish type arguements.

How can we really judge someone within 160 characters which wern't really her own to begin with?

Again as always, not all the facts are present so there is not much more to add.

I don't condone what has happened, a silly mistake, but the actions of sacking are a bit extreme to say the least.

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John Dowdle says...
5:32pm Tue 12 Feb 13

See my further comments at http://www.watfordob
server.co.uk/news/10
221029.Hertfordshire
_Deputy_Police_Commi
ssioner___Not_my_int
ention_to_offend__wi
th_Hitler_tweet/.
She should definitely go - and so should he.

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Wacko Jacko says...
5:42pm Tue 12 Feb 13

John Dowdle wrote:
I am extremely concerned about this woman's extremist ideological views.
In equating left-wing people with Nazis, she has revealed herself as ignorant, stupid and extremist. The Nazis were mainly defeated by the Red Army - not by elements on the right-wing of politics.
Either David Lloyd appointed this woman in ignorance of her beliefs or he shares them.
Either way, not only should she be sacked but he should consider resigning too, so that a by-election can be held to elect someone better than this pathetic pair of misfits.
More 'moderate' opinions from Dowdle, who I seem to recall called me a Nazi for supporting lower speed limits. What a charming individual he is.
I don't condone this person's stupid tweet, particularly as she holds a public position, but we can all be guilty of thoughtless and stupid statements at times, can't we John?

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Mohandas says...
10:24pm Tue 12 Feb 13

This is typical of the tribal primitive nature of politics at the top when so many are worried about jobs, safer neighbourhoods, health care, the poor state of roads, schooling, etc. They get drunk on power and feel they have a right to say what they like and get away with it. Is there room today for the carefully evaluated comment sensitively and intelligently articulated?

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John Dowdle says...
12:09am Wed 13 Feb 13

As exemplified by the coward Wacko above, people are capable of making thoughtless and stupid statements.
The difference is that he is not being paid £20,000 a year to "work" 2 days a wekk and make such thoughtless and stupid statements - unless Wacko deems to tell us otherwise?
Is he really so keen to have someone who acts and speaks in an 'ill-judged' way in charge of police and crime?

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Andrew Turpie says...
9:55am Wed 13 Feb 13

Why do people take for granted in what appears in individual tweets or on web pages to be honest..

if things like this really boil your blood, then really the web isn't a good place for you to hang out. Just like those believing that clicking "like" on facebook will cure all terminal illnesses (or win them an iPad) and that a nice general from Nigeria wants to transfer £500,000 in to your bank account.

All you are looking at is a bunch of ASCII characters typed on a screen (think 1000 monkeys and 1000 typewriters) and is not the best way to judge people.

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John Dowdle says...
10:14am Wed 13 Feb 13

Andrew: you are wrong.
This stupid woman should have known better; she holds the second-highest position affecting policing and crime policy in Hertfordshire.
Anyone in such a position should not exercise such poor judgement as to re-tweet Nazi comments designed to be deliberately offensive to others.
She is a fool and so is the person who appointed her to her position.
They should both step down.
I would say the same thing if the situation applied to any other party or non-party candidates.

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crazy cyclist says...
12:51pm Wed 13 Feb 13

I wonder if there will be a severance package??? just me being cynical in this day and age

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abbotshornet says...
1:08pm Wed 13 Feb 13

She has fallen on her sword to save her boss.
She either thinks it is the case, or thinks it is funny to compare the Nazi party with socialists. Hitler probably deliberately used the word in the title of his political party to miss lead the people.
The Nazis being a right-wing party are the polar opposite of what I would call socialism so no wonder people got annoyed.

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John Dowdle says...
3:18pm Wed 13 Feb 13

Hitler did not found the National Socialist German Workers Party or NSDAP. He joined it under the direction of German military intelligence after it had been set up.
He was member number 57 (from memory), though the party added 50 to the numbers of all those joining at the outset.
While some of the early members were clearly anti-capitalist, they were also anti-democratic too.
Their original political manifesto was based on one supplied by Austrian pan-Germans.
When Hitler and his close aides carried out the "Night of the Long Knives", they ensured that any of those like the Strasser brothers - who were anti-capitalist - were either forced out of the party or - more brutally - murdered, as well as those brownshirts like Rohm, who wanted to replace the German Army.
If Ms Frosh has now stepped down from her post as deputy PCC, I suggest she spends some of her free time studying political history and theory so that she can avoid future displays of such outstanding ignorance and stupidity.

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Lee West says...
6:48am Thu 14 Feb 13

LSC asks what does the Commissioner actualy do? Well from my experience nothing! I wrote to him to complain about the Police who tampered with my statement. In turn I notified him that 3 exhibits are reported as missing (via the Information Commissioners Office) but your wonderful PCC in in no uncertain terms told me to go away! I did go away and got myself a solicitor who deals exclusively with complaints against Police Corruption! I feel his former assistant has been treated harsh for a 'tweet' but for him not to actually bother investigating my complaint of Police Corruption is 1000 times worse!

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Lemsfordalex says...
3:08pm Thu 14 Feb 13

Several comments refer to her resignation, but I havn't seen the Review report it yet.

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John Dowdle says...
9:58pm Thu 14 Feb 13

See http://www.watfordob
server.co.uk/news/10
224822.Deputy_PCC___
I_want_to_be_able_to
_comment_on_national
_political_issues_/

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