WPC Mitchell was a uniformed police constable who, in the course of her duties, crossed paths with the residents of Coronation Street on four occasions in the 1980s and 1990s.
In July 1988, she took a complaint of domestic violence from Sandra Stubbs after she received a beating from her husband Ronnie Stubbs, which had resulted in facial injuries serious enough for her to be kept in hospital overnight. The WPC also called at the Rovers Return to check that Sandra's son Jason had somewhere to sleep that night, only to find out that Sandra had already made arrangements with Bet Gilroy for him to stay in the Rovers' spare room.
The following February, she and a male colleague were dispatched to 33 Hammond Road to inform Gail Tilsley of Brian's death in a stabbing outside a disco in the town centre. Mitchell was senior to her colleague, and after breaking the news to Gail she told him to put the kettle on while she stayed with Gail. She remained on hand when Gail and Audrey Roberts went to the hospital to identify the body, and arranged for Pauline Lofthouse, who was with Gail when the officers arrived, to look after Nicky and Sarah Louise.
Mitchell returned to the Tilsley household three months later when Nicky was reported missing. Gail told her that he hadn't been in his bed when she got up that morning, and that he'd been sent home early from school the previous day when he attacked a boy who said something about Brian. The matter was resolved swiftly when Nicky turned up at Casey's Garage, Brian's former workplace, none the worse for wear.
In September 1995, Mitchell and Sergeant Grant arrived at the Rovers to question Bill Webster as he'd previously been seen on the precinct's security cameras with a young girl. Bill explained that he was helping the lost girl find her mother, as shown by the cameras, and was aggrieved at being questioned. The officers explained that they were only there to make routine enquiries, and Bill's statement was accepted with no further action taken.