“Our communities deserve to see value for money”
The force has chosen to go public with the operation(Image: ABNM Photography)
GMP staff believed to have been skiving while working from home could face the sack – as workers in a variety of roles have been warned they face disciplinary action.
The move comes after an investigation by the force into “key jamming”, where workers give the impression they are working by placing an item on their computer.
An operation by Greater Manchester Police’s (GMP) Anti-Corruption Unit has led to 26 police officers, staff and contractors facing formal misconduct investigations.
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On Monday, September 29, members of GMP’s ACU, served misconduct papers after an operation “to identify abnormal keystroke behaviour on GMP-issued devices, also known as key jamming”.
GMP’s Headquarters (Image: Manchester Evening News)
The force has chosen to go public with the operation as a warning to others and as part of an “ongoing programme to drive out poor performance and improve efficiency and effectiveness across the force.”
GMP’s Deputy Chief Constable, Terry Woods, said: “This operation has been underway for a number of months, and as a result we have taken action this week to allow for greater investigation into what has happening.
“The abnormal keystroke behaviour comes from repeated key presses and could be from an item left on a keypad, pressing down one key.
“GMP isn’t the first force in the UK to have undertaken an operation such as this, and we have seen other industries take swift action, where deliberate key-jamming has been proven.
GMP deputy chief constable Terry Woods(Image: Copyright Unknown)
“As an organisation which seeks to serve the public of Greater Manchester to the best of our abilities, ensuring the responsible and effective use of every pound paid by Greater Manchester’s taxpayers, which forms the basis of our budget.
“Our communities deserve to see value for money and where deliberate behaviour is proven you can be confident, we will take decisive action in this matter.”
The force says working from home privileges have been revoked while further investigation takes place. Additionally, the line managers of those involved will be spoken to “and face greater leadership scrutiny.”
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