‘No wonder we struggle to retain staff’ says sergeant who was called to court during annual leave

4 July 2023

A sergeant who was forced to abandon his family holiday to be a witness in court only to find out it had been cancelled while he was en-route to the trial, is desperately urging for the ‘relentless’ problem to be fixed.

Mitch Darby had pre-booked annual leave to enjoy a rare trip away with his wife and children earlier this year, only to find out he needed to block out time to appear in court, ‘smack back in the middle’ of his time off.

Despite raising his concerns and even asking if he could appear remotely - which was refused - Mitch’s holiday was interrupted when he received a phone call ordering him to travel to court.

“My wife is an inspector in the Force, so - as you can imagine - trying to get time off together, as a family is hard. We actually have our plans written down on a spreadsheet, 90 days in advance, it’s that hard to make plans with each other. We’d only gone to Anglesey but still, it was time away together, with my two kids,” said 38-year-old father-of-two Mitch.

Sergeant Mitch Darby

“I was three hours into the five-hour train ride to court when I received a phone call telling me the case had been adjourned. My kids had been let down and I’d missed valuable time off with them.

“It 100 per cent ruined my holiday. I was almost certain that case wouldn’t go ahead but I couldn’t risk getting a disciplinary. I felt like I couldn’t say no.”

Frustrated by the sequence of events, Mitch tweeted: “Kids let down again, this time on holiday because of ‘the job’. I can see why we struggle to retain staff.’

Speaking about his experience, Mitch added: “It’s not just the time-wasting and hassle but it’s the fact you can’t switch off, knowing you’ve got to go to court, mid-annual leave.

“You’ve got to pack a shirt and tie, your work laptop, it’s so hard to ever switch off. You try so hard to get some time off work and then when you finally do, are you really off?”

Mitch continued to stress that if the problem is not addressed, forces will lose officers.

He said: “This problem is everywhere, it’s not just in West Midlands. It’s easy to see why we’re losing so many bobbies and it will definitely push officers out of the job, it’s another erosion of our basic human rights.

“I’m lucky that my wife understands, because she’s in the Force herself, but now all partners and loved ones get it. But even though she gets it, and she is understanding, it doesn’t mean that it’s acceptable.

“I know courts are under pressure too, but I can’t help but feel like police officers are constantly put to the bottom of the pile.

“And I am sure that if you go into any police station, and ask any active frontline officer, they will all be able to give you two or three examples of being in a similar situation. It’s absolutely not fair and it’s undoubtedly taking its toll on the wellbeing of officers.”