Mike Naumoff, the leader of the Dianella local policing team, was farewelled by his Morley colleagues on Tuesday.
Sgt Naumoff joined the force in 1974 after he trained at the police academy, then located in Maylands, and went on to serve in traffic and general duties in Northam, Midland, Bunbury and Perth locations including Morley.
He said that being a police officer in Perth had changed “dramatically” since he first joined.
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READ NOW“You could actually walk down Murray Street at two o’clock in the morning and you wouldn’t see a car,” he said.
“The bakers were in the bakeries but no-one wandered; the only area back then that had any nightlife movement was Northbridge and then at 3am when the nightclubs closed, it was back to being desolate.”
He said while the Frontline 2020 policing model changed the focus for police, it was not a significant change to the way the station operated.
Sgt Naumoff said he enjoyed working in Dianella.
“While it has its issues, there are excellent people in Dianella,” he said.
“It is a rewarding experience to be able to help people, particularly in their time of need, when they don’t know what to do or who to turn to.
“A lot of government agencies don’t work shift work so they ring the police and we get the opportunity to help them.”
Morley officer-in-charge Tony Vuleta said it was very unusual for an officer to spend his whole career on frontline duties.
“He’s always been the voice of reason and calmness no matter what the situation is,” he said.
Sgt Naumoff said he encouraged more WA people to join the police force.