THE head of the chief constables’ association has ordered a comprehensive review of its corporate credit card spending amid concerns that tens of thousands of pounds of public money is not being properly accounted for.

Ken Jones, president of the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo), wrote to chief constables last week telling them that some 40 Barclaycard accounts used by staff were to be the subject of an accounting review.

The move comes amid growing concern that corporate credit card spending by some senior police officers on entertainment has got out of hand.

Last week it emerged that Andy Hayman, an assistant commissioner at the Metropolitan police and Britain’s top antiterrorist officer, is facing an investigation into his expenses claims and foreign trips with a woman police sergeant.

Hayman has been questioned over thousands of pounds spent on his police American Express card on hotel expenses and drinks for his staff. He has been asked to explain at least £15,000 in expenses that one Met official says included claims for “inordinate amounts” of drinking.

Records show that Hayman has spent substantially more than his boss, Sir Ian Blair, the Metropolitan police commissioner, and other senior officers over the last few years. Last year he spent £360.79 at a restaurant in London in October and £387.06 on another meal in June. Another meal in London in December 2005 cost £326.25. There were no details of who, or how many people, he paid for.

But it has now emerged that Hayman also has an Acpo Barclaycard, one of those covered by the review. One Met official said extra spending on the card amounted to “thousands of pounds”.

There is no suggestion Hayman has broken the law and he has told colleagues that he can justify all the spending.

The Met is conducting a separate inquiry into the use of more than 3,000 Amex cards by detectives attached to antiterrorist and other specialist units.

Scotland Yard’s anticorruption squad has already arrested two counter-terrorist officers as a result of the investigation. The pair, a detective constable and a detective sergeant, are on bail on suspicion of stealing £70,000 using their Amex cards.

Auditors are examining hundreds of unchecked expenses claims totalling £6m. Senior sources put the figure stolen at £1m.

Jones said he had ordered a review of all Acpo Barclaycard spending. He declined to comment on individual cases.

THE head of the chief constables’ association has ordered a comprehensive review of its corporate credit card spending amid concerns that tens of thousands of pounds of public money is not being properly accounted for.

Ken Jones, president of the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo), wrote to chief constables last week telling them that about 40 Barclaycard accounts used by staff were to be the subject of an accounting review.

The move comes amid growing concern that corporate credit card spending by some senior police officers on entertainment has got out of hand.

Last week it emerged that Andy Hayman, Britain’s top antiterrorist officer, is facing an investigation into his expenses claims and foreign trips with Sergeant Heidi Tubby, his former staff officer.

Hayman has been questioned over thousands of pounds spent on his police American Express card on hotel expenses and drinks for his staff. He has been asked to explain at least £15,000 in expenses that one Met official says included claims for “inordinate amounts” of drinking.

Records show that Hayman has spent substantially more than his boss, Sir Ian Blair, the Metropolitan police commissioner, and other senior officers over the past few years. Last year he spent £360.79 at a restaurant in London in October and £387.06 on another meal in June. There were no details of who, or even how many people, he paid for.

But it has now emerged that Hayman also has an Acpo Barclaycard, one of those covered by the review. One Met official said extra spending on the card amounted to “thousands of pounds”.

There is no suggestion Hayman has broken the law, and he has told colleagues that he can justify all the spending.

The Met is conducting a separate inquiry into the use of more than 3,000 Amex cards by detectives attached to antiterrorist and other specialist units.

Scotland Yard’s anticorruption squad has already arrested two counterterrorism officers. The pair, a detective constable and a detective sergeant, are on bail on suspicion of stealing £70,000 using their Amex cards.

Auditors are examining hundreds of unchecked expenses claims totalling £6m. Senior sources put the figure stolen at £1m.

Jones said he had ordered a review of all Acpo Barclaycard spending. One senior officer said: “There are things that may be absolutely right and proper in terms of auditing but the public isn’t going to like it, as I think we’ve already discovered. Their eyebrows will be raised by the volume of expenses.”

Sir Hugh Orde, head of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), is also facing questions over £83,000 in expenses incurred over the past three years on flights and hotels, writes Brendan Bourne.

Jimmy Spratt, a Northern Ireland assembly member and former RUC officer, obtained the annual figures through the Freedom of Information Act but is calling for a detailed breakdown.

The PSNI said Orde’s expenses had been independently audited and the Policing Board, which supervises the chief constable, was entirely satisfied.

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