WHEN we were in shorts and ribbons there were various bits of adult tea-table wisdom that went over our heads.
I wondered why assembled parents, aunts and uncles, considering life over a pot of Assam and a packet of Ginger Nuts, would nod sagely when one of them opined: "You know you're getting old when the policemen start looking younger."
Now that I am no longer in shorts and am old enough to pontificate to nephews and nieces, the policemen reference is not really appropriate.
Even before the latest round of public service cuts, Plod on the street was as rare as rocking-horse droppings. I am, therefore, in no position to say whether, in recent years, they have looked younger or older than of yore.
However, there is some good news for those who lament the accelerated passing of their own allotted years: if you can actually find a police officer, it seems he or she could shortly starting looking older once again.
One of the consequences of the evaporation of public services in the UK, we are warned, could be a lost generation of bobbies.
In a blue line that is now as thin as it has been for nine years, recruitment freezes have meant the number of officers aged under 26 has fallen by 50 per cent nationally and in Notts by 62 per cent.
It's not ideal, but let's not get carried away in the quest to make police forces demographically representative of society.
They have never been truly representative of society and probably never will be, and provided we are not pitting only a bunch of wheezing old lardballs against the criminal fraternity's finest there is no need to panic.
Besides, we can expect time to throw up some checks and balances.
In Notts, for instance, we are told that 100 new officers could be recruited within a year.
One would expect most of these rookie constables to be in their twenties, although I trust every opportunity will also be given to older candidates who have the potential to serve the force well for several years.
Yes, police forces need their twenty-somethings, and not just because they are more likely than a portly chief superintendent to out-run a toe-rag. These young men and women are also valuable as role models.
However let's not lose sight of two things: this is more of a numbers problem than an age problem... and it is not entirely a numbers problem.
Recorded crime does not tell us the full story but the year-on-year improvement in September 2012, the last month for which figures are available on the Notts police website, suggests that fewer officers are being better managed.
The judicious deployment of the promised extra officers, perhaps even (dare one mention it?) as a reassuring deterrent presence on our streets, raises the prospect of further improvements.
If that happens, we should rejoice... and fret about age only when there is nothing more important to worry about.
If a rozzer is good enough, he's young enough.