# Setting up a police armory

> Build a FiveM police armory: job- and grade-restricted shops, registered serials, personal lockers, end-of-shift returns and evidence storage.

Source: https://fam-tools.com/guides/fivem-police-armory-setup · FAM Tools · published 2026-09-11 · updated 2026-09-11 · about 10 min

**Short answer.** Define an armory shop in ox_inventory with `groups = { police = 0 }` so only police can open it, give items a `grade` for rank requirements and `price = 0` (or a small fee) for service weapons, and add `metadata = { registered = true }` so each weapon gets a serial registered to the officer. Add personal lockers (`owner = true` stashes), an evidence stash for seized items and a routine for returning weapons at the end of shift.

## Key points

- One shop with `groups = { police = 0 }`.
- `grade` per item for rank-locked weapons.
- Registered serials for accountability.
- Personal lockers and an evidence stash.
- Return service weapons when going off duty.

A police armory decides who carries what: cadets with a taser and pistol, sergeants with a carbine, SWAT with everything. With ox_inventory it is a job-restricted shop with grade requirements, plus lockers and an evidence room built from stashes.

## The armory shop

*ox_inventory/data/shops.lua*

```lua
PoliceArmoury = {
    name = 'Police Armoury',
    groups = { police = 0 },
    blip = { id = 110, colour = 84, scale = 0.8 },
    inventory = {
        { name = 'WEAPON_STUNGUN', price = 0, metadata = { registered = true } },
        { name = 'WEAPON_COMBATPISTOL', price = 0, metadata = { registered = true } },
        { name = 'ammo-9', price = 0 },
        { name = 'WEAPON_CARBINERIFLE', price = 0, grade = 3, metadata = { registered = true } },
        { name = 'ammo-rifle', price = 0, grade = 3 },
        { name = 'armour', price = 0 },
    },
    locations = { vec3(452.6, -980.0, 30.7) },
},
```

Field reference: [shops config](https://fam-tools.com/guides/ox-inventory-shops-config). Serials: [serial numbers](https://fam-tools.com/guides/fivem-weapon-serial-numbers).

## Lockers and evidence

| Storage | Setup |
| --- | --- |
| Personal locker | Stash with `owner = true`, `groups = { police = 0 }` |
| Shared squad locker | Stash with `groups = { police = 2 }`, no owner |
| Evidence room | Stash with a higher grade requirement and logging hooks |

Stash setup: [ox_inventory stashes](https://fam-tools.com/guides/ox-inventory-stashes). Log evidence moves with a `swapItems` hook — see [hooks](https://fam-tools.com/guides/ox-inventory-hooks).

## End of shift

*server.lua — remove service weapons when going off duty*

```lua
local SERVICE = { WEAPON_STUNGUN = true, WEAPON_COMBATPISTOL = true, WEAPON_CARBINERIFLE = true }

local function returnServiceWeapons(src)
    for _, item in pairs(exports.ox_inventory:GetInventoryItems(src) or {}) do
        if SERVICE[item.name] then
            exports.ox_inventory:RemoveItem(src, item.name, item.count, item.metadata, item.slot)
        end
    end
end
```

Call it from your duty toggle. It prevents officers keeping carbines in their personal inventory after shift.

## On other inventories

QBCore servers usually configure the armory inside the police job resource (items with grade requirements) with qb-inventory; ESX servers use the police job’s armory menu or ox_inventory. The concepts — job lock, grade lock, registered weapons, lockers — stay the same. See [inventory systems compared](https://fam-tools.com/guides/fivem-inventory-systems-compared).

## Questions

### How do I make a police armory in ox_inventory?

Create a shop with `groups = { police = 0 }`, add weapons with `price = 0` and optional `grade`, and give them `metadata = { registered = true }`.

### How do I lock weapons to a rank?

Set `grade` on the item in the shop inventory.

### How do I stop officers keeping weapons after shift?

Remove service weapons on the server when they go off duty.

### Where do seized weapons go?

Into an evidence stash with restricted access and logging.

## Related

- https://fam-tools.com/guides/ox-inventory-shops-config
- https://fam-tools.com/guides/ox-inventory-stashes
- https://fam-tools.com/guides/fivem-weapon-serial-numbers
- https://fam-tools.com/guides/fivem-weapon-shop-setup