Incidents within the United Kingdom’s two major police forces reveal that personnel with permission to work from home may resort to an unusual trick to appear “active” at their computers. Reports from GMP and Durham Police show that some officers press their computer keyboards with various objects to bypass sleep mode and appear constantly active on the system.
Findings in the reports indicate that abnormal keystroke behavior is used as a tool. Deputy Chief Constable Terry Woods stated that in most cases, this situation occurs due to an object repeatedly pressing a single key. As a result of the investigation, misconduct reports were filed for 26 police officers and contracted staff approved for remote work, and the agencies immediately suspended their remote work privileges.
While some detectives in Manchester continue to investigate cases such as pressing the ‘I’ key 16,000 times, the situation in Durham has led to more serious consequences. Detective Officer Niall Thubron, assessed as having engaged in keyboard cheating, was subject to a process that led to his exclusion from the police force. Although he resigned in May, it was determined that he used these devices during 38 different incidents over 12 days between January and December 2024 to appear as if working. His on-record activity also showed that he was not active at his computer for only about half of that time.
According to the reports, the incidents are evaluated as deliberate and malicious, with motivation potentially rooted in laziness rather than financial gain. Findings from both Manchester and Durham suggest that such behaviors may be related to a simplified “showing off” or “usability” logic. Woods, stating that GMP was not the first force in the UK to carry out such operations, signals that this kind of practice could become more widespread.
