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  "path": "/2026/02/26/police-officer-sacked-using-wfh-hack-trick-bosses-thinking-solving-crimes-27110677/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-02-26T06:03:00.000Z",
  "site": "https://metro.co.uk",
  "tags": [
    "News",
    "UK",
    "Somerset",
    "Somerset Police",
    "News Updates",
    "Breaking News",
    "Detective Constable Niall Thubron",
    "Durham",
    "PC Liam Reakes",
    "**check our news page**",
    "Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source"
  ],
  "textContent": "The officer, referred to as Sergeant X by Avon and Somerset Police, has been barred from working in any UK law enforcement agencies. (Picture: Getty Images)\n\nA police officer who spent her work-from-home days weighing down her keyboard with a picture frame has been sacked for pretending to be doing something useful.\n\nThe officer, referred to as Sergeant X by Avon and Somerset Police, has been barred from working in any UK law enforcement agencies.\n\nHer keystrokes were identified as ‘significantly high’ in 2024 by the force’s Professional Standards Department.\n\nAn investigation was opened, and it was discovered the majority of shifts she worked had between three to eight times higher keystroke count than her colleagues in a similar role.\n\nShe admitted to using the corner of a picture frame to weight down her keyboard so her laptop would not go into ‘sleep mode’ while going through challenges in her personal life.\n\n##  Sign up for all of the latest stories\n\nStart your day informed with Metro's **News Updates** newsletter or get **Breaking News **alerts the moment it happens.\n\nAssistant Chief Constable Craig Holden, chair of the misconduct panel, said her actions amounted to gross misconduct.\n\nDet Supt Larisa Hunt, the head of Avon and Somerset Police’s Professional Standards Department, said: ‘It is extremely disappointing an officer has behaved in a way which could not only discredit the police force, but also undermine the public confidence in respect of our duties and responsibilities.\n\nDC Niall Thubron who was caught out faking working from home last year\n\n‘We know officers and staff deal with immense pressure and high workloads, and while Sgt X had some mitigating circumstances, it’s unacceptable for an officer to act in this deliberate and deceitful way by abusing the trust placed in her, by making it appear she was working when she was not.\n\n‘We recognise the overwhelming majority of our officers and staff work hard to protect the public.’\n\nSergeant X is hardly the first police officer to be caught pretending to be working while from home.\n\nDetective Constable Niall Thubron, 33, from Durham Police was found to be ‘key jamming’ in September.\n\nHe intended to ‘give the impression’ that he was ‘completing tasks’ while ‘working from home’, it was alleged.\n\nHe would have been sacked for gross misconduct had he not already resigned.\n\nIn June, PC Liam Reakes clocked up more than 100 fake hours by weighing down the Z key on his keyboard.\n\nHe is thought to have typed out just shy of 11 million Zs while pretending to be working from home. He also quit before he was sacked.\n\n******Get in touch with our news team by emailing us atwebnews@metro.co.uk.******\n\n**For more stories like this,****check our news page**.\n\nComment now Comments  Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source ",
  "title": "Police officer sacked after using WFH hack to trick bosses into thinking she was solving crimes"
}