A detective working on child protection, who was found to have weighed down the keys on her laptop to give the impression she was working at home, has been sacked without notice for gross misconduct after a disciplinary hearing.
Suspicions were raised when keystroke data – the record of the number of times the keys had been struck on the keyboard – revealed DC Philippa Baskwill had pressed the keys on her laptop nearly 3 million times in a single month – compared with the 80,000 to 200,000 average of her colleagues, the hearing was told.
In 2022, the data showed Baskwill recorded 2 million key strokes for the year but this rocketed to 21 million in 2023. Among the keys that had been found to be held down were the numbers 2 and 4, as well as the F10 and F11 keys.
The Avon and Somerset Constabulary officer – who was assigned to Operation Ruby, which focuses on child protection, including child sexual exploitation – later claimed she had used her mobile phone to hold keys down to prevent the laptop from going to standby mode.
But Sarah Crew, a chief constable with the force, found that Baskwill had been attempting to give the impression she was engaged with policing duties while working from home.
The detective was also found to have spent hours shopping online on work time, and browsing data showed she had been looking for flights and visiting websites such as that of the retailer JD Sports.
After a one-day virtual hearing, which was not attended by Baskwill, Crew concluded that the officer’s behaviour amounted to gross misconduct and she should be dismissed without notice.
Giving her reasons for dismissal, Crew said: “The conduct undertaken by DC Baskwill fails to reach the standards of police officers that is expected by members of the public, and allowing an officer who has exhibited such deliberate, persistent and sustained conduct to remain in service would have a detrimental impact on confidence in and the reputation of the service.”
She went on: “The impact of allowing DC Baskwill to remain in the police service following her conduct would have a serious risk of showing others that such conduct is acceptable and or undermining the confidence of and in other officers.”
Crew said Baskwill’s record prior to the allegations was “exemplary” and her colleagues spoke highly of her.
But the persistent nature of the conduct, the impact on confidence in the police service and the need to uphold high standards in policing meant gross misconduct and dismissal were the most appropriate outcomes, she said.
