An ex-copper has swapped nicking crooks for flashing her knickers.
Michelle Walton, 51, gave up her 30-year career in the force to follow her dream of becoming a stripper.
She wears a police uniform, uses handcuffs and a truncheon and “arrests” audience members for “being too sexy”.
Michelle said she always loved the idea of stripping – even taking a year out in the late 1990s to work in a topless bar in Australia.
She said: “For me, stripping is about female empowerment and loving yourself.
“I’m not a skilled dancer, I just love my body and love getting my kit off after 30 years of restrictions on what I could and couldn’t do.”
Michelle joined the Metropolitan Police aged 18 in 1989 and worked in South East London before transferring to Hampshire Police in 1997.
In 1999 she took a year’s unpaid leave and headed Down Under.
Michelle, from Yarmouth, on the Isle of Wight, said: “When I got to Australia, I needed to get a job so I became a skimpy barmaid which involved working in pubs in my underwear.
“Coming back to the UK it felt like a bit of a reality check, but I liked my job so it wasn’t the end of the world.”
After calling time on her career in 2020, Michelle settled down with husband John, 56, who is also a former police officer.
She joined a small burlesque dance class and was then encouraged to create her own solo act.
It gave her the idea of becoming a police strip- per and she joined the Charity Cabaret Club, which entertains at charity events.
She said: “It felt surreal to act without fear of it impacting my career. I hope it inspires other women to love their own bodies, regardless of their shape or size.
“I’m sure there will be people that will judge me but I don’t care.”
