KEY POINTS:
Police top brass have racked up tens of thousands of dollars in credit card bills staying at top hotels, and spending up large on food and alcohol.
In the past year, globetrotting Commissioner of Police Howard Broad - who earns around $450,000 a year - has stayed at a string of luxury hotels, including San Francisco's Hilton Hotel, Hong Kong's Macau Center, Seoul's Hyatt Regency, New York's 70 Park Avenue Hotel and Washington DC's Hotel Madera.
Deputy Commissioners Rob Pope and Lyn Provost have also racked up the frequent-flyer miles, with trips to Paris, Beijing, Tokyo and Hawaii, staying at leading resort hotels such as the Marriott in Waikiki Beach.
Thousands of dollars have been charged by the country's top police officers to credit cards for meals and miscellaneous expenditure, with some of the bills including:
$3949 to greenstone store Taonga Pounamu
$1203 to Fat Boys Bar in the Solomon Islands
$1159 to Harvey Furnishings
$1102 to Wellington's Juniper Restaurant
$1045 to Briscoes
$939 to Wellington's Molly Malones
$783 to the White House Restaurant in Wellington.
The spending wasn't confined to the commissioner and his deputies - Assistant Commissioners Jon White, Grant Nicholls and Gavin Jones ran up credit card bills of more than $40,000 on overseas accommodation, meals and other miscellaneous expenditure.
That did not include international flights, which are paid for separately.
National's police spokesman, Chester Borrows, said that on the face of it, "This was not the sort of spending we expect from police."
But police say the expenses were "reasonable" and, in all cases, were for legitimate police business.
Police Association head Greg O'Connor also chimed in adding: "These are guys who spend half their lives overseas. Of course they are going to have big bills."
Figures released to the Herald on Sunday under the Official Information Act show that in the year to October 31, $2.4 million was charged to police-issued credit cards. Most of the 653 Westpac Mastercards had a $2000 credit limit; seven had a $20,000 limit.
White, who led the so-called terror raids in October, was the top spender, booking up $25,217 on his credit card - around $5000 more than Broad, who spent a total of $20,436.
For White, that included stays at the luxury 391-room Conrad Hotel in Bangkok, Nadi's Tanoa International Hotel and Singapore's Shangri La.
White also spent around $7000 on hotel stays in Wellington, nearly $4000 on "official" greenstone gifts at Taonga Pounamu - and one credit card statement mentions a "cash advance fee", despite police protocols prohibiting such withdrawals.
Former Assistant Commissioner Peter Marshall - a member of the New Zealand police since 1972 and now Deputy Commissioner of the Solomon Islands police - booked up nearly $10,000 on his credit card over a four-month period.
That included $1200 at Fat Boys Bar, another $1200 at Harvey Furnishings, $1045 at Briscoes and nearly $1000 at Molly Malones.
Police financial operations manager Steven Eveleigh said various items required for Marshall's move to Honiara were paid for by credit card. These included purchases at Harvey Furnishings and Briscoes.
The $1200 bill at Fat Boys Bar was for meals and accommodation for Marshall, his wife and a guest.
The meal at Molly Malones was the final dinner for the National Crime Managers Conference in Wellington, which around 30 people attended.
Meanwhile, Provost, Jones and Nicholls spent less than $10,000 each for the year.
Eveleigh said credit card expenditure was "routinely checked and certified as correct".
He said, "no serious issues" of card misuse had been identified.
Westpac protocols for police-issued credit cards state cards can only be used for travel, accommodation, meals, rental cars, petrol, taxis, training costs, petty cash items and minor operating expenditure items.
If the cardholder has delegated authority, purchases can be made at stores like Briscoes, but only to the value of $200. Cards were not to be used for personal expenditure, internet purchases or cash withdrawals.
Documents provided by police show Broad travelled to the United States, Singapore, Hong Kong, Korea and Australia.
His credit card bills show a $5057 payment to the Hotel Madera in Washington for a nine-night stay; $2532 for three nights at New York's 70 Park Avenue Hotel; $1457 for six nights at Hong Kong's Macau Center; $1305 to Hong Kong's Renaissance Harbour for a two-night stay; two nights at the Hilton Hotel in San Francisco for $888; $790 to Seoul Hyatt Regency for two nights. All the trips were for official police business.
Eveleigh said there was no policy on hotel accommodation, except that costs had to be fair and reasonable.
Pope was the second biggest spender, with $20,707 charged to his credit card for the year to October 31.
That included a $2995 stay at Paris' Home Plaza Hotel and an $1895 stay at London's Club Quarters.
Pope also booked up more than $1800 at Auckland's SkyCity on two nights' accommodation, meals and parking on a work visit that included attending the Clint Rickards trial.
As well, he spent $1261 for three nights at Beijing's China World Hotel and $1155 at Marriott Hotels in Hawaii for a three-night stay.
O'Connor said the criticism was "small-minded". "I know how tight the whole police operation is, and how aware they are of public scrutiny."
