Police Staff Sacked for Faking Keyboard Activity While Working From Home
More than fifty police officers and civilian staff members have been sacked or ordered to resign over the past three years after being caught faking activity on their keyboards while working from home. This widespread misconduct has involved employees repeatedly pressing the same keys or weighing them down with objects like staplers or drink cans to create the illusion of being busy.
Detection Through Keystroke Software
These individuals have been uncovered using specialised 'keystroke software' that detects unusual or repetitive keyboard patterns. The software flags anomalies that suggest artificial activity rather than genuine work, leading to internal investigations across multiple police forces.
Greater Manchester Police Investigation
Greater Manchester Police alone identified twenty-eight staff members engaged in 'key jamming' computers and other devices following a probe by anti-corruption investigators. As a result, four people have already been dismissed and two have resigned. In response, Chief Constable Stephen Watson has implemented a ban on working from home while the investigation continues, highlighting the severity of the issue.
Specific Cases of Misconduct
An insider revealed to The Times, which uncovered the scale of the scam through Freedom of Information requests and public records checks, that some staff were weighing down the space bar to pretend to be working while actually spending their days at the gym. Specific cases include:
- Liam Reakes, a PC from Avon and Somerset, resigned before a misconduct panel could review his behaviour. He was found to have been pressing the 'Z' key with an object for a total of 103 hours between June and September 2024.
- Ryan Lenton, a PC from Kent's investigation management team, used the scam for 60 hours during 14 shifts in April and May last year, allowing him to visit the gym and golf course instead of working.
Widespread Impact and Potential Scale
The dismissals have occurred across fourteen police forces, indicating a broader problem within law enforcement. Notably, the Metropolitan Police – the UK's largest force – stated it could not provide data without exceeding costs allowed for Freedom of Information requests. This suggests the actual number of cases might be significantly higher, potentially revealing a much larger issue than currently documented.
Context of Remote Work Trends
This misconduct occurs against a backdrop of increasing remote work in the UK. In December 2025, approximately 49 per cent of British workers, or around 22.7 million people, were working from home. This includes 14 per cent working fully remotely and 35 per cent in hybrid roles, underscoring the relevance and urgency of addressing productivity fraud in remote settings.
The incidents raise serious concerns about accountability and supervision in remote work environments, particularly within critical public services like policing. As investigations proceed, forces are likely to implement stricter monitoring and policies to prevent such abuses in the future.
