A police sergeant has been dismissed for gross misconduct after using a picture frame to keep her keyboard active while working from home, creating the false impression that she was on duty. She has also been barred from serving in any UK law enforcement agency.
The officer, identified as Sergeant X by Avon and Somerset Police, came under scrutiny in 2024 when the force’s Professional Standards Department detected unusually high keystroke activity linked to her account.
An internal review found that during most of her shifts, her recorded keystrokes were three to eight times higher than those of colleagues in similar roles. She later admitted placing the corner of a picture frame on her keyboard to prevent her laptop from entering sleep mode while she attended to personal matters away from her desk.
Assistant Chief Constable Craig Holden, who chaired the misconduct hearing, ruled that her actions amounted to gross misconduct. Detective Superintendent Larisa Hunt, head of the Professional Standards Department, said the behaviour risked undermining public trust.
“It is extremely disappointing an officer has behaved in a way which could not only discredit the police force, but also undermine public confidence in our duties and responsibilities,” Hunt said.
She acknowledged that officers often face intense pressure and heavy workloads but stressed that deliberately misleading the force was unacceptable, even where mitigating circumstances existed. She added that the vast majority of officers and staff remain committed to serving the public with integrity.
The case is not the first of its kind in the UK. Last year, Detective Constable Niall Thubron of Durham Police was found to have engaged in similar “key jamming” while working remotely and resigned before dismissal proceedings were completed.
In a separate incident, PC Liam Reakes reportedly logged more than 100 fraudulent work hours by weighing down a single key on his keyboard, allegedly generating millions of repeated keystrokes to appear active. He also resigned prior to formal dismissal.