A UK police officer has been sacked after a misconduct hearing found she had been using a popular work from home hack to pretend she was working.
Ever since the Covid-19 pandemic, working from home has become the new norm for millions of people, and sometimes the temptation of the TV is too much.
While the likes of Alan Sugar and Nigel Farage are demanding that Brits get back into the office, most of us are able to function normally while at home, especially if we're not wasting time and money on travelling.
However, for those of you lucky enough to have a job that doesn't have constant demands or deadlines, the idea of putting yourself in an important call to pretend you're busy is probably an appealing option.
Advert
You would hope that police officers would be immune to such nonsense, given that they should primarily be concerned with bringing criminals to justice, but one plucky officer decided to simply leave a photo frame on her laptop to give off the impression that she was hard at work.
The officer, who was referred to as Sergeant X and worked with Avon and Somerset police, has now been dismissed without notice following an internal investigation.
It appears that the 'hack' isn't completely infallible, as her keystrokes were found to be between three and eight times higher than those of colleagues in a similar role, which prompted the investigation in June last year.
On Wednesday (25 February), the investigation came to an end at police headquarters in Portishead, with the officer barred from police and other law enforcement agencies following her actions.
She admitted to using the picture frame during a challenging period in her life between April and May 2025, as she monitored calls from another screen and prevented her working laptop from going into 'sleep mode'.
'Deliberate and deceitful'
However, former Assistant Chief Constable Craig Holden, chair of the misconduct panel, found her behaviour amounted to gross misconduct and she was promptly dismissed.
Sergeant X told the hearing: “This was not an act motivated by personal gain, corruption or an intention to undermine the organisation or the public.
“I feel deep sorrow and genuine remorse for the position I have placed the organisation, my colleagues and myself in.
“I understand it could have been seen as dishonest but I did not act in a dishonest way.”
Det 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.
“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.
“We recognise the overwhelming majority of our officers and staff work hard to protect the public.”
James Moorhouse