Gun cabinet or weapon safe for service weapons: what matters for a police zone?

Published on 04/10/2026 · Axcor

Gun cabinet, weapon safe or armoury?

A gun cabinet is a steel cabinet with a lock, often with an inner compartment for ammunition. A weapon safe is heavier and certified as burglary-resistant (EN 14450 or EN 1143-1), and may also be fire-resistant. An armoury is a closed room with an armoured door containing racks, cabinets or compartment safes. Which model is needed depends on the unit's internal regulations, the insurance and the number of weapons.

One door for everything, or a compartment per weapon?

Behind a single safe door, all weapons are within reach of everyone who is allowed to open the door. A compartment safe gives each service weapon its own door; a weapon lock holds the weapon itself until an authorised user releases it. This way you know not only who entered the room, but who took which weapon.

Registration per employee

With electronic weapon management, the employee identifies themselves with a badge or code, and only their own weapon position opens. Issue and return are logged. At a shift change, this can be combined with the vehicle key, the radio and the bodycam, from the same cabinet or from linked cabinets.

Existing cabinets and safes

Not every unit starts from scratch. Existing gun cabinets and compartment cabinets can be given a new lock, from key to personal code, or a lock with registration. Where the construction allows, management modules can be built into an existing safe.

What do you ask the supplier?

• Which physical security (class, fire resistance) suits your regulations.
• Whether registration is per weapon, or only per door.
• What happens in the event of a network or power outage and how the emergency procedure works.
• Who installs, anchors and maintains, and whether the same party also supplies the safe.