No regrets in police role

It was 1981, there were no computers and police officers did not carry weapons.

He often had to work alone.

According to the retiring police officer, society has changed a lot since then.

He said it was necessary for officers to carry all those accoutrements like tasers and guns now.

"I do think that it allows people to rely on methods other than conversation to deal with situations," he said.

Conversation is what made Sergeant Tuffin such a good police officer.

In his role as team leader of StreetNet at Billy Dower Youth Centre, he would talk to young people about issues like drugs and bullying.

Sgt Tuffin won WA Police Officer of the Year in 2006 for his work with StreetNet.

He said this was the most enjoyable 10 years of his career.

"What makes me proud of this time is the number of young people who I meet nowadays that reflect back on the times that they had," he said.

He credited his teammates for the 2006 award and said he would miss them the most after retiring.

"Ill miss the people I work with, I won't miss having to get up and shave and iron shirts," he said.

Sgt Tuffin said he had a lot of funny stories from his time on the force but he was not allowed to tell most of them.

As a police officer he has worked in a diverse range of roles, from a Constable on the streets to a family protection officer and a crime prevention |officer.

Sgt Tuffin has worked in Moora, Perth, Busselton and Mandurah.

He said he had no regrets about his career and would spend the first year of his retirement travelling with his partner.

After he is done with travelling, he will start up a home maintenance business.

This will take him back to his carpentry roots, which he completed as a trade before he joined the force.