List of Minor Emmerdale Characters (2004) - PC Mike Swirling

Police Constable Mike Swirling is a local police officer. He has appeared since 2004. PC Swirling often appears in the village whenever the police are called, selected appearances are detailed here.

On 28 December 2006, Swirling appears when a fight breaks out in the street between Carl King and Jamie Hope. Jamie presses charges and Swirling arrests Carl for assault. In April 2007, he is called to the Post Office by Viv Hope when Belle Dingle steals a packet of sweets, and then insults her. Whilst waiting for the police, Viv locks Belle and her mother Lisa in the shop. When PC Swirling and a colleague arrive, they are both unsympathetic to Viv and Lisa's claims and tell them that both were acting like children. Swirling threatens to charge them with wasting police time, before leaving. Later that month he visits the village again when Jo Stiles calls the police after believing Billy Hopwood had assaulted Andy Sugden. Swirling arrests Billy and after taking a statement from Andy, he charges Billy with assault. Andy later changes his statement and Swirling releases Billy. On 3 July 2007, Swirling appears when Eli Dingle stages a fake robbery at Tug Ghyll. In August 2008, Mike appears when Donna Windsor-Dingle and Ross Kirk are nearly killed in a car chase.

In July 2009, he appears when Rodney Blackstock's car crashes into the Farm shop. He is later called to Mulberry Cottage when Laurel Thomas accuses Sally Spode of trying to kill her and kidnapping her son Arthur. Swirling appears again on 28 January 2010 when Faye Lamb reports Mark Wylde's disappearance and Natasha Wylde tells him about Mark's bigamy. Swirling returns on 26 February 2010 when he, Faye and Natasha are called out to the hospital to try and identify a body but it is not Mark's. Swirling appears again on 22 June 2010 at Home Farm after Mark's credit card is used to purchase some flowers which Natasha and her son Nathan both knew were not from Mark although they did not let on about it.

Swirling later appears at Butler's Farm after John Barton reports his daughter, Holly's disappearance. Swirling appears in September again at Butler's Farm after it is burgled. Swirling and his colleague give John and his wife Moira advice on not leaving windows or doors open. John tells Swirling that he suspects that Holly committed the burglary to fund her drug addiction. Moira later tracks Holly down and takes her to the police station where Swirling arrests her and she confesses to carrying out the burglary. When he asks Moira if she wants Holly to be charged she agrees but Swirling suggests she and John get Holly some counselling. Swirling appears again on 2 December 2010. He is at the police station when Moira is arrested for possession of heroin which she had been going to give to Holly. Swirling recognizes Moira and he interviews her along with the arresting officer. Swirling tells Moira she could go to prison for the offence. He offers to help Moira get a more lenient sentence if she agrees to tell him everything she knows about where the heroin came from and she does so.

On 23 February 2011, Swirling visits the offices of Emmerdale haulage to inform Carl that his brother Jimmy's van has been discovered in Peterborough with bloodstains inside. On 1 March, he returns to inform Jimmy's wife Nicola that the blood found in the van has been positively identified as Jimmy's. The following day, Swirling returns to tell Nicola and Carl that a man fitting Jimmy's description has been located in a hospital in Nottingham.

On 21 April 2011, Swirling is called to Holdgate Farm after it is burgled by Cain Dingle. Swirling takes details of the burglary from Cain's ex-girlfriend Charity Tate, her current boyfriend Jai Sharma, whose car Cain had stolen, and Jai's brother Nikhil, all of whom implicate Cain as the culprit. Swirling later visits Cain at Tug Ghyll and questions him about his whereabouts. Despite Cameron Murray giving him an alibi, Swirling arrests Cain and takes him to the police station. He later visits Cain's colleague Ryan Lamb, who Cain had tricked into acting as a lookout, at his home. The following morning, Swirling visits Cain in his cell at the police station and informs him that they questioned Ryan and released him and that they believed that Cain had acted alone. Swirling warns Cain that he faces a long prison sentence but Cain is defiant and taunts Swirling, saying that they have no evidence against him and that they should release him. Swirling ignores him and leaves the cell. Later Charity comes to the police station to change her statement and tells Swirling that she is longer certain that it was Cain who carried out the burglary. Swirling tells Charity that if she lets Cain get away with it then she will never be free of him but she ignores him and Swirling has no choice but to release Cain.

In December 2011, Swirling returns to the village when Hazel Rhodes discovers a newborn baby abandoned in the village telephone box. Swirling visits Dale Head and questions Hazel, Bob Hope, Zak and Lisa Dingle. He states that the police will make an appeal for the baby's mother to come forward and leaves. On 27 April 2012, Swirling is again called to Mulberry Cottage, this time by Edna Birch, and arrests Ashley Thomas for assaulting his father Sandy.

On 14 June 2013, Swirling appears at the garage to inform Cain that his car, which he had reported stolen, had been found burnt out in a field.