Police officer barred after wasting over 100 hours of work time
He was found to have committed gross misconduct at a hearing today
A former police officer - based in Yeovil - who deliberately held down keys on his laptop to make it appear as if he was working when he wasn’t, has been barred from policing.
PC Liam Reakes was found to have committed gross misconduct at an accelerated misconduct hearing on Monday (9 June).
He'd have been dismissed if he hadn’t already resigned.
His actions came to light following an audit of keystrokes carried out in September 2024, which flagged PC Reakes’ total as significantly higher than colleagues in similar roles.
Det Supt Larisa Hunt, head of the Professional Standards Department, 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. 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.
“We’re continually reminding line managers of their key responsibilities to hold regular check-ins, one-to-ones, and reviews, so the wellbeing and capacity of their staff can be properly monitored. It’s also important for performance issues to be identified early and any necessary support or training put in place to help resolve them.”