There were emotional scenes at the Port Macquarie Police Station when many of Snr Const Acorn's colleagues formed a guard of honour when he retired last Wednesday.

Mrs Acorn fought back tears as her husband made his final exit from the building.

"On one hand I'm extremely happy I get him all to myself now but I'm also extremely proud of him," she said.

"He has earned a lot of respect and has been a good cop his entire career.

"He's been emotional about this day, it's a huge thing to be a police officer in the one town for 31 out of the 38 years.

"I know he's going to miss it greatly."

Snr Const Acorn himself admitted he was feeling "apprehensive" about the decision, but joked his wife might send him back to work "after a couple of weeks".

"She's happy now but it might be a different story after a couple weeks," he said.

"There's a tractor out in the paddock that's calling my name and I'm sure there's a long list of chores I'll have to get to."

The Snr Const joined the police force in 1977 and moved to Wagga Wagga in 1979.

He made his way back to the Hastings in 1984 where he has been since.

"There's certainly sadness at leaving but the family are number one now, and I'm looking forward to spending time with the kids and now grandkids," he said.

"I'm going to miss the camaraderie of working with certain police in different sections of the force."

Inspector Paul Fehon was a part of the guard of honour and acknowledged Snr Const Acorn's "fantastic achievement".

"In today's policing environment, to achieve 38 years of operation and experience is a major achievement," he said of his colleague.

"Wayne has demonstrated that he genuinely wants to make a difference and ensure a safer environment for everyone.

"And he's done that with commitment, passion and pride - it's been a fantastic effort."