Greater Manchester Police officer PC Tara Sampson, 24, has qualified for the Miss England final after winning the Miss North West title. The serving police officer, who has been with the force for over a year, swapped her uniform for a ball gown to walk the catwalk at the Park Hall Hotel & Spa in Lancashire.
From Policing to Pageantry
Tara, from Chorley, said taking part in the pageant was an amazing experience and worlds away from her day job of catching criminals. "I was really shocked to be put through as it was my first ever beauty pageant," she said.
"I have never modelled before but have toyed with the idea for a while but what struck me about Miss England is that its motto is beauty with a purpose so it appealed to me to do the pageantry alongside raising money for good causes."
Support from Colleagues
Tara said only her unit sergeant knows about the pageant so far and has been very excited. "I'm going to announce it to my other colleagues soon and I'm sure they will all be very supportive," she added. "I really enjoyed being able to get out of my big heavy uniform and get glammed up because at heart I am a very girly girl."
She acknowledged the challenges of her job: "I've been with GMP for just over a year now and it's the hardest job I've ever done both mentally and physically."
Transferable Skills
Despite her nerve-wracking experiences on the catwalk, Tara believes her policing skills help. "Being a police officer means having to be out of your comfort zone almost every day because of the situations you can face, you always have to have your wits about you. So I think there are some transferable skills I can take into pageantry."
She added: "I feel like my job keeps my life interesting- I always finish a shift with a story to tell. It has also opened my eyes to how great women can do in a male dominated role."
Road to Miss England
Tara will compete in several rounds including the Beauty with a Purpose fundraising competition, a talent round, and a sports round in a bid to reach the Miss England final on November 17.
Miss England director Angie Beasley said: "The North West has an incredible track record in Miss England, producing outstanding finalists who have gone on to achieve great success internationally so to add a police officer in to the equation would be something else."
Entries for Miss England 2026 are still open at www.missengland.info.
