Police officer pretends to work: holds down the Z-Key for hours

A police officer from Yeovil, in the southwest of England, thought he could outsmart his superior: he pretended to be working from home but was exposed after an internal audit of... keystrokes.

Police officer Liam Reakes systematically held down the z-key on his laptop between June and September 2024 to make it appear as though he was working from home, when he actually was not. In total, this accounted for more than 100 hours of lost police time, as revealed at a police disciplinary hearing.

The officer was caught out after an internal keystroke audit showed his activity was much higher than that of his colleagues. Reakes admitted to his actions but denied any intent to commit fraud; he claimed he did it for his mental health. His superiors had already raised concerns about his performance at work.

The police regarded this as serious misconduct. He resigned before he could formally be dismissed and has received a lifetime ban from working in the police.

(PP with DC - Source: BBC, Metro via AD - Photo: Unsplash)