Police had approved sick sergeant’s linesman duty

A policeman has hit the headlines after officiating as a linesman at top
Premiership football matches while signed off work for stress.

Nigel Miller, a custody sergeant at Bishop Auckland, County Durham was
cleared by his employers to run the line at the recent incident-packed Leeds
United v Manchester Utd game.

Miller, who has a doctor’s note excusing him from his police duties, is on
the Premiership list of elite referees assistants.

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A spokesman for the force said: "The officer has been seen by our
occupational health physician and in his opinion the combination of exercise
and the officer’s interest in football would be therapeutic and aid his
recovery."

Officers working for Durham police force took 17,813 days off sick between
April 2001 and March 2002 and of these 2,490 were stress-related.