Sgt X dismissed without notice after gross misconduct ruling

An Avon and Somerset police officer has been dismissed without notice after giving a false impression she was working by using a picture frame to weigh down keys on her laptop.

The police officer, referred to as Sergeant X, has been barred from police and other law enforcement agencies, following an accelerated misconduct hearing which was held at police headquarters in Portishead today (Wednesday 25 February).

The misconduct panel heard that data used by Avon and Somerset Police’s Professional Standards Department (PSD) identified PS X’s keystrokes as significant high in 2024, which prompted an investigation which opened in June that year.

Evidence found Sgt X weighed down her keyboard on the majority of shifts she worked in April and May 2025, and her keystrokes were between three and eight times higher than colleagues in a similar role.

PS X gave an account of her actions and admitted using a corner of a picture frame to weigh down the keys so her laptop would not go into ‘sleep mode’, and she could therefore monitor calls on a separate screen during a time in which she suffered challenges in her personal life.

At the hearing, former Assistant Chief Constable Craig Holden, chair of the misconduct panel, found her behaviour amounted to gross misconduct. He decided at the end of proceedings that the officer’s anonymity should be upheld after considering representations.

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.”

The full outcome of this hearing will be added to the misconduct section of our website when it is available.