Transsexual helps fight crime

Most police forces use handcuffs to enforce the law but Welsh police have recruited a transsexual in heels and lipstick to fight crime.

Brunette Michelle – who was born male and called Mark – is training Dyfed Powys police officers to combat and raise awareness of transgender-phobic violence. She contacted the force last year as part of her own empowering journey to break society’s taboo about transsexual people.

Dyfed Powys Police invited her to take part in training 48 newly-appointed hate crime support officers who deal with anyone who has been attacked or verbally abused, received hate mail or had property damaged as a result of their sexual orientation, race, religion, gender and ethnicity.

A police spokesperson said while there was no recorded hate crime in the area, that wasn’t to say it didn’t exist and the advent of self-reporting forms on the force’s internet site would make it easier for people to come forward.

“The first question the police always want to ask is if I’ve had anything cut off! I tell them there are around 5,000 trans people in the UK who have surgery and another 50,000 who haven’t and who don’t want it. Right now, I’m one of those,” Michelle said, waving her perfectly manicured hands for emphasis.

“I get a real buzz from doing the course, I’m in my comfort zone. The police are fine to work with. One section involves getting them to look at pictures of a load of people and they have to guess which ones are transgender – it’s funny when the men are surprised when they realise an attractive woman was born a man.”