Northern Ireland police say 21 workers may have faked being active on laptops at home

Police in Northern Ireland are examining suspected work-from-home "productivity spoofing" by 21 of their officers, staff members, and contractors.

Here's what to know

The BBC reported that Deputy Chief Constable Bobby Singleton told the Policing Board that the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has opened Operation Akarpos, with the force's Anti-Corruption Unit leading the investigation into suspected abuse tied to remote work.

He said the conduct under scrutiny involves "activity/productivity spoofing" — efforts to create the appearance of laptop activity while an employee is not actually there. The focus is not remote work itself, but whether some workers misused it while continuing to be paid.

The Anti-Corruption Unit says there is "no systemic abuse of home working by PSNI officers and staff" as the investigation is centered on a relatively small group of people, the BBC reported.

Social Democratic and Labour Party MLA Colin McGrath, a member of the Policing Board, stressed a similar point, per the BBC, saying remote working can be beneficial and that "it would be unfair if the suspected actions of a very small number were allowed to undermine it."

More background

Remote working was introduced for PSNI officers and staff during the Covid-19 pandemic, a change Singleton said "kept the service working and our workforce and communities safe."

The PSNI has continued with that approach. Singleton said the service remains "keen to retain remote-working capability across the service."

McGrath said the organization is operating under "significant financial and staffing pressure."

Singleton added, "As an under-resourced and funded service we want the board to be assured that we will not tolerate inefficiency but dishonesty even more so."

What's being done?

In Singleton's letter to board members, he said Operation Akarpos was launched specifically "to guard against abuse of remote working and to ensure the productivity of staff."

The PSNI has changed work arrangements for some of those involved. Singleton said work-from-home privileges have been amended where remote work is unavoidable and removed where it is not.

Politicians from different parties said they support that response. McGrath said, "The public rightly expects officers and staff to be working when they are being paid to work."

Democratic Unionist Party leader Gavin Robinson said he was "glad" the police were taking action and that there were "lessons to be learned".

Robinson also indicated that the problem may not be limited to one police force, saying, "I suspect it goes far beyond the PSNI." His concern points to questions about how public institutions maintain accountability while preserving flexible-work policies.

Singleton said, "Our communities need to see value for public money and resources, especially when we are asking the Northern Ireland Executive and British government for additional funding."

Where can I learn more?

These stories look at computers, workplace oversight, and enforcement, from laptop complaints and discarded office devices to police surveillance and an illegal crypto-mining network.

• An HP owner said a deceptive upgrade pop-up appeared on a still-working laptop.

• A tech worker found still-usable laptops tossed instead of being refurbished or reused.

• In Russellville, police used surveillance cameras to catch suspected illegal dumping.

• In Thailand, authorities shut down an organized illegal network powering crypto mining.

• In Pune, officials imposed fines after 24/7 surveillance caught offenders in an illegal dumping scheme.

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