‘Paid for work he wasn't doing': Police officer banned from force after ‘deceitful' WFH act

News.com.au

2 days ago

A former UK police officer has been banned for life from working in law enforcement after being found to have faked over 100 hours of work.
PC Liam Reakes, based in Yeovil, England, was found to have committed gross misconduct following a tribunal at Avon and Somerset Police headquarters.
The misconduct panel heard how, between June and September 2024, Mr Reakes deliberately held down keys on his laptop at regular intervals while working from home 'to make it appear as if he was working when he wasn't', according to a statement from Avon and Somerset Police.
His actions came to light after an audit of keystrokes was carried out in September 2024, revealing that Mr Reakes' total was significantly higher than that of his colleagues in similar roles.
He would have been fired had he not already resigned from the force and has now been added to the national barred list, meaning he can never work in policing or other law enforcement agencies again.
The former officer, who did not attend the hearing, admitted to opening a blank Word document and holding down the 'Z' character on his keyboard for long periods of time.
This occurred for a total of 103 hours over numerous shifts during the 2024 June to September period, sometimes for more than four hours at a time, according to BristolLive.
The misconduct panel heard that a subsequent keystroke audit showed he had been doing this since September 2023.
While he admitted to doing this, Mr Reakes denied this was to give a false impression that he was working when he was not.
Barrister Mark Ley-Morgan, who represented the force at the hearing, told the panel that the officer had claimed he was struggling with mental health issues, while also lacking the support he felt from working alongside others in an office environment.
Mr Ley-Morgan said Mr Reakes claimed he deliberately held down the keyboard key so he could see his computer screen and respond to messages promptly.
However, the barrister claimed there was no evidence to support the worker's claim, saying he had made no mention of mental health difficulties during previous conversations with his sergeant.
The hearing was told Mr Reakes and his sergeant had numerous meetings throughout 2024 resulting from concerns about the officer's performance.
'He knew he was being paid for work that he was not doing,' Mr Ley Morgan said, according to BristolLive.
'We are all entitled to take a break and have a cup of tea but this was far beyond that. There is no place in the police service for dishonest officers.'
During the misconduct hearing, panel chairman Craig Holden, branded Mr Reakes' behaviour as 'deceitful and dishonest'.
'The impact on the trust the public have in the police service will be damaged,' he said.
'He had lied during the interview process when he could have come clean, and the activity was regular and sustained.'
In a statement released following the hearing, Detective Superintendent Larisa Hunt, head of the Professional Standards Department said, prior to the keyboard audit, the former offer was the subject of an action plan and had been allocated a tutor due to concerns over his performance.
'The use of any device or system to replicate keyboard activity is wholly wrong and deceptive and the public will be rightly outraged at this behaviour,' she said.
'Not only has he let down those he made a commitment to serve and protect but he's also let down his colleagues, who are continuing to deal with significant pressure and workloads.'
Det Supt Hunt said line managers are being continually reminded of their responsibilities to hold regular check-ins, one-to-ones and reviews in order to properly monitor the wellbeing and capacity of their staff.
'It's also important for performance issues to be identified early and any necessary support or training put in place to help resolve them,' she said.