The Metropolitan Police has spent more than £66,000 in five years phoning directory enquiry services, official data reveals.
Officers and backroom staff spent £11,122 calling the 118118 and 118500 services from last April to the end of January, figures show.
The Freedom of Information data, requested by the Standard, also shows they spent more than £55,300 on the same two directory enquiry lines over the previous four financial years.
The Met allowed the calls despite 118118 and 118500 being among the most expensive directory enquiries numbers, with an initial one minute call to the former costing £7.53 from a Vodafone mobile phone.
The force also allowed the calls despite most of the information being available free of charge on the web.
The Met said that unlike other UK forces which ban directory enquiry calls from work phones, its officers are allowed to make them to help with their jobs.
In a statement, it said: “A large number of Metropolitan Police Service officers and staff have traditionally not had direct access to the internet as they are not office-based and therefore used directory enquiry services for operational reasons.”
While the amount spent on 118118 and 118500 rose from £9,244 last year to £11,122 until the end of January this year, it is down on the £22,530 spent on the two lines in 2012/13.
The Met said that from next month it is switching to a new, cheaper directory service, which should render the cost to the taxpayer “minimal”.
It is unclear from the data how directory services are being used to combat crime.
Dozens of 118 numbers sprang up following the privatisation of the old 192 service but the market is now dominated by just a few.
Of these, 118118 and 118500 are among the most popular, but they have attracted controversy for their costs.
Calling 118118 from a Vodafone mobile costs £6.98 for the first minute and £3.49 per minute thereafter, with a 55p per minute access charge.
This means that a two-minute call to 118118 from a Vodafone mobile will cost £11.57.
Read More
MORE ABOUT