P.C. 461 was a uniformed police officer who encountered the residents of Coronation Street in the course of his duties on three occasions in the early 1970s.
In October 1972, he surveyed Benny Lewis's apartment in the wake of a robbery which appeared to be a break-in due to the glass in a side entrance being smashed. Interviewing Benny at the scene, the policeman came to the conclusion that it was an inside job due to the burglar alarm being switched off. Further investigation revealed that ex-convict Jacko Ford had been in the apartment, and he was erroneously charged with the crime. The true culprit - Franny Slater - escaped justice until his accomplice Freddie Slack named him in January 1973.
The other cases involving the constable were of a rather more trivial nature. In April 1974, he appeared at the Community Centre to put to Emily Bishop a complaint by a Mrs Morris that a sugar bowl had been borrowed from her Aunty Freda dishonestly for use in the centre's amateur production of The Importance of Being Earnest. His arrival came during the performance, moments before Emily was needed on stage, resulting in the rest of the cast having to improvise for a few moments.
Two months later, he served Stan Ogden with a summons for a drink-driving offence.
- Credited as "P.C. 461" in Episode 1230 (30th October 1972) and "Policeman" thereafter. They are assumed to be the same character.