The uniform may have changed, the tools may be more advanced and the patch smaller, but Jeff (JJ) Taylor remembers well his time serving in the Mosgiel police station.
The retired sergeant was one of about 100 ex-staff, officers, family and friends who attended the station's 125th anniversary celebrations at the weekend.
"Mosgiel was a great community and I'm sure it still is. I think the police feel very connected to the community, as we did in those days," Mr Taylor, of Wellington, said.
Mosgiel was his base between 1981 and 1989, a time when the patch included Green Island, Middlemarch and Ranfurly.
The airport was also the station's responsibility, and a heightened one when Air New Zealand was considered a target during the 1981 Springbok tour.
"It was quite a big patch," he said, though it was run from a small base.
Towards the end of his time in Mosgiel, the station was given permission to take over an old house next door, "doubling the room" and allowing for more staff to work there.
The size change was one he could not help but notice when the reunited group of ex-officers was given a tour of the Dunedin Central station on Saturday morning.
"The old building [by the courthouse] was very small and had tiny windows . . . but it was a home," Mr Taylor said.
Following the tour, a group was treated to dog handling and armed offenders squad displays.
Seeing the tools now in use, such as Tasers, extendable batons, firearms and stun grenades, made him realise how much the force had changed over the years.
His equipment in Mosgiel would have included a helmet, wooden baton and handcuffs.
Firearms were limited to a revolver and a shotgun.
"There has been a big change, absolutely," he said.
The uniform, especially, had changed.
"Staff were expected to wear a shirt and tie and tunic, and raincoat or greatcoat in the winter."
Now, stab-proof vests were the norm, leading to the introduction of lighter, more breathable polo-shirts.
While needing to be more heavily armed and protected was "a shame", he knew times were changing and it was important for police to be kept safe.
The reunion ended with a dinner on Saturday night, attended by Police Commissioner Howard Broad.
Mr Taylor thought it was appropriate for Mr Broad, who was close to retiring, to attend as he served in Dunedin when he graduated from police college, and also relieved in Mosgiel.
