HAMPSHIRE’S Police and Crime Commissioner last week defended his expenses, following a complaint to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).

The watchdog is deciding whether to investigate allegations of criminal conduct which relate to alleged fraudulent claims for trips to the Isle of Wight. Crime commissioner Simon Hayes said he didn’t know who made the complaint and explained that the investigation into wrongdoing could well see more money spent than the expenses themselves.

“My travel arrangements are organised and paid for by the office of the Police and Crime Commissioner so I have no reason to claim money back for travelling to the Isle of Wight, or anywhere else for that matter,” he said.

“The only personal claims I make are for mileage-related to journeys in my car. Occasionally I’ll claim for parking, but not always. I don’t claim for food or other entitlements because I feel it’s not the right thing to do.

“Visits to the Isle of Wight are either by Red Jet (high-speed ferry service), when I leave my car in Southampton, or when I need to travel extensively around the Island I’ll take my own vehicle and use the car ferry. This is the most cost-effective way."

He added: “I don’t know the origins of this complaint, as the complainant in the matter hadn’t contacted me before informing the media, so we will have to spend some time looking back at the exact meetings and travel arrangements being referred to.

“The system put in place by Parliament to deal with complaints against police crime commissioners is the same whatever the nature of the complaint, so due process has to take its course. The process is costly and often spends more taxpayers’ money than the alleged offence in the first place. I’d be happy to speak about this case once due process has been followed.”

A spokesman for the IPCC said: “We have received a referral from the Hampshire Police and Crime Panel relating to a complaint about the police and crime commissioner’s expense claims. The referral will be assessed to determine whether there should be an investigation involving the IPCC.”