When Constable Steve Greenwood first joined the force there was no roadside breath testing, seatbelts had been compulsory for less than a decade, and he carried an exercise book to take notes.
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It was 1979, he had graduated from the police academy and was working on the watch in Launceston.
Police were driving HZ Holden Kingswoods, and alcohol was one of the biggest factors in offending.
Fast forward four decades, and not only have the vehicles changed, but police technology has advanced, and alcohol abuse has been replaced by an ice pandemic.
"When I first started there was very little cannabis on the streets, and alcohol was the main problem," Mr Greenwood recalled.
"Nowadays, I think ice is the new alcohol."
Something that had also changed was the amount of respect for police, according to the former constable.
Retiring this week after more than 41 years, he said there had been a generational shift in how police were viewed by the broader community.
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"The respect level has dropped significantly," he said.
"It is disappointing, but offenders always find somebody else to blame, and of course we are the worst person in the world when we do catch them."
One thing that stayed the same throughout his career though, was Mr Greenwood's passion for the job.
During his time with Tasmania Police, he worked in Launceston, and in the North-East, both on the beat and in traffic policing.
Specialising in road safety and roadside testing, he trained about 200 officers in breath analysis.
From when he first graduated to his retirement, he saw significant changes in the state's road toll, and how drivers were policed.
"I started just after seatbelts were introduced, but before random breath testing.
"That was a weird time, the transition from needing reasonable suspicion to pull someone over to being able to randomly pull them up. We went from having to wait for someone to drive into the middle of the road, or commit an offence to just pulling over any car.
"The drop in the road toll the following year was quite amazing, it dropped significantly."
While he enjoyed the flexibility of policing, there were some jobs he said he would rather forget.
"I think I have been to more domestics than I care to remember.
"And in a lot of the cases, you would deal with the offender, and then a couple of weeks later you would be going back to the same address. It was frustrating."
But when it came to dealing with the tougher jobs, his advice was to "not dwell on it".
"I like to think I coped rather well with it, it is a case of not overthinking," he said.
Farewelling Mr Greenwood during an official retirement gathering on Wednesday, Launceston Inspector Darren Hopkins said the former constable had been a great mentor for younger officers.
"He has always been very well respected among both his peers, and his managers," Inspector Hopkins said.
"Steve had a significant role in training breath analysis operators and providing advice in that road safety space not only to his peers, but junior constables.
"Just before he retired, he was injured as a result of being on the frontline and arresting a serious offender that was evading police. He put himself and his body on the line until his last day."
Agreeing with Mr Greenwood about the change in respect for police, Inspector Hopkins said officers were scrutinised now more than ever.
"It is frustrating these days when you are getting abused and called a dog, and then get a phone call the next day to come and help," he said.
"I think we, and justifiably so, are held more accountable now than we ever have been.
"I do think the old ways of investigation and the old ways of doing things and dealing with people face to face was a good way, and the way we do business is changing, technology is changing, but the role of policing hasn't changed."
Having known each other for more than 15 years, Inspector Hopkins said Mr Greenwood should be proud of his achievements.
"Every retired police officer I have spoken to in the last five to 10 years has been happier and healthier, you see them at retirement functions, and everyone seems happy and like a weight has come off the shoulders," he said.
"When you are a police officer you don't get nights off, you don't get weekends off, you are a police officer 24 hours a day, seven days a week."
Also at the farewell was Tasmania Police Commissioner Darren Hine, who travelled up from Hobart to congratulate Mr Greenwood on his service.
Commissioner Hine said it was mixed emotions when an officer retired, and while the department was celebrating with Mr Greenwood, it was also losing someone with significant experience and knowledge.
"Forty-one years on the frontline is a great achievement, and he has assisted many members of Tasmania Police, been a mentor for many members, and has assisted the community in relation to road safety and traffic policing, so he has contributed in so many ways," Commissioner Hine said.
"He certainly deserves a happy and long retirement."
While he officially retired this week, Mr Greenwood had already been on leave for four months, and now plans to spend much of his time off travelling around in a caravan with his wife, Lisa.
"The first few weeks of leave I was still waking up at 5.30am ready to go for day shift, it is just an old habit you can't get out of," he said.
"After that I realised I didn't have to do the jobs around home as quickly as I used to when I had days off."
And although he has handed over his badge, his legacy will carry on through his son who has been a Tasmania Police officer for more than two decades.
"I was quite proud that he did join, I just said to him 'it is your decision, it is your choice, and I am not going to help you, but I am also not going to hinder you, I am just going to give you the facts', and now he is a sergeant at Westbury," Mr Greenwood said.
When asked what advice he would give to others considering a career with Tasmania Police he said "don't take life too bloody seriously".
"It is not meant to be an easy job, but every day is different."
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