Former Wiltshire Police Officer Barred After Faking Computer Activity
A former Wiltshire Police officer has been barred from working in policing after a misconduct panel found she repeatedly made it appear she was working when she was not.
PC Lauren Fairley, who served on Wiltshire Police's Domestic Abuse Support Team, was found to have deliberately manipulated her computer activity on multiple occasions during 2025.
A misconduct hearing held at Wiltshire Police headquarters in Devizes heard that Fairley used objects to repeatedly press keys on her keyboard, preventing her work laptop from showing as inactive.
The panel found that this behaviour occurred on 12 separate occasions and amounted to gross misconduct. Fairley had already resigned from the force in February this year, but the hearing concluded that she would have been dismissed had she still been serving.
During the hearing, it was revealed that on one occasion Fairley pressed the "T" and "7" keys more than 100,000 times in a single day. On another day, more than 200,000 key presses were recorded within the space of an hour.
Fairley did not attend the hearing because of ill health. Through her representative, the panel heard that she had been studying for the National Investigators' Exam – part of the pathway to becoming a detective – and had chosen to spend time during working hours revising.
She apologised for her actions and reportedly offered to repay the force for the time lost.
The misconduct panel also heard that Fairley had secretly recorded a one-to-one meeting with her supervisor during which sensitive information relating to ongoing investigations was discussed.
In its findings, the panel stated that her actions had undermined public confidence in policing and brought discredit upon the police service.
As a result, Fairley has been added to the national barred list, preventing her from serving as a police officer, special constable or police staff member in the future.
Wiltshire Police Misconduct Hearing
The hearing was held at Wiltshire Police headquarters in Devizes and forms part of the force's misconduct procedures designed to maintain professional standards and public trust.
Members of the public can view details of police misconduct outcomes through official force publications and national policing records.
Browse local businesses, add your business today, find local customers looking for your services in your area on SalisburyPost. Latest Local News SalisburyPost your Local & Verified Customers.
Comments (0)