Latest news with #Reakes'
New York Post
11 hours ago
- New York Post
Ex-cop held down ‘Z' key for hours to fake working from home
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 hearing 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. 5 Reakes would have been fired after his actions came to light if he hasn't already resigned. 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. 5 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. wachiwit – 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. 5 The former officer admitted to holding down the 'Z' character in an open Word document. Yuliia – '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' behavior as 'deceitful and dishonest'. 5 The deceitful behavior was detected after an audit of keystrokes. – '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 behavior,' she said. 5 According to panel chairman Craig Holden 'the impact on the trust the public have in the police service will be damaged.' Andrii Iemelianenko – '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 well-being 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.
Metro
a day ago
- Metro
Police officer held down 'z' key to pretend he was working for 100 hours
It's the work-from-home trick we've all been tempted to try. Press down a key to keep your laptop on, all while you kick back and relax. That's the ploy one 'deceptive' police officer turned to, all until his bosses clocked on. PC Liam Reakes, based in Yeovil, weighed down the 'Z' key to make it look like he was working from home. The officer cost Avon and Somerset Police more than 100 hours of work and has now been barred from the profession. A tribunal found the officer committed gross misconduct on Monday and said he would have been dismissed had he not resigned last month. PC Reakes admitted opening a blank Word document and holding down the 'Z' key during countless shifts between June and September 2023. This sometimes went on for more than four hours, but the officer denied trying to trick others that he was working from home when he wasn't. He accepted his behaviour fell below the standards expected, though denied gross misconduct. There had been concerns raised about PC Reakes' performance throughout 2024 before the ploy was discovered. An internal audit of keystrokes in September 2024 then found that his total was much higher than others doing similar jobs. The officer's case argued he was struggling with mental health issues and lacked the support and motivation that working alongside colleagues in an office gave him. Reakes claimed he held down the Z character to protect his mental health. According to the force's Barrister Mark Ley-Morgan, he said it allowed him to see his computer screen and respond quickly to notifications. But Ley-Morgan said there was no evidence to support Reakes' defence. He added: 'He knew he was being paid for work that he was not doing. '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.' The panel's chair, Craig Holden, called the officer's behaviour 'deceitful and dishonest'. He went on: 'The impact on the trust the public have in the police service will be damaged. More Trending 'He had lied during the interview process when he could have come clean, and the activity was regular and sustained.' The officer will now be added to the national barred list, which will stop him from working in law enforcement again. Avon and Somerset Police's Det Supt Larisa Hunt said: 'PC Reakes was the subject of an action plan and was allocated a tutor due to concerns over his performance prior to the keyboard audit being carried out. '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.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page.
