Library membership is free to all serving UK police officers and police staff on completion of the borrower registration form.   You can return this as an e-mail attachment, by post or delivered by hand.

Non-police researchers may, at the library's discretion, use the library services.  This can be on a one-off basis, or if you expect to use the library regularly and wish to borrow items, then you can take an annual membership.

Personal annual membership is for an individual's use.  Corporate annual membership is for companies, universities and other organisations and allows up to 5 staff to register as named library users.

Annual membership lets you:

• make enquiries
• make unlimited visits
• borrow items (by post within the UK)

Charges for non-police users (incl. VAT)

Day visits:
     student  £10
     academic/private researcher  £15
     corporate researcher  £25
     self-service photocopies  10p / page

Annual membership
     personal annual membership  £100
     corporate annual membership  £400

Charges for other services e.g. photocopies are available on request. Photocopying carried out for commercial purposes requires prior permission from the copyright owner or payment of an additional copyright fee.

Our online catalogue has an index of the 55,000 books, reports, theses and videos, as well as 15,000 articles indexed from our main journals since 1989.

You can search this catalogue 24/7 from any Internet connection. If you are a registered borrower, you can also select and order material online.

Registered borrowers are able to request postal loans.

Material is sent by post, free of charge. All we ask is that you return items securely wrapped by recorded delivery, or in person.

If you fail to return items, you will be invoiced for the cost of replacement plus an administrative charge.

We are happy to make photocopies of journal articles and law cases on your behalf which are yours to keep. Requests are subject to the boundaries of copyright legislation.

• Monthly e-mails of up-to-date information on your own individual search profiles (current connections)
• Content pages of selected journals are circulated on request
• 25 items may be borrowed at any one time
• Inter-library loan requests.

Staff are available to assist users and answer enquiries during the following hours:

Monday to Thursday 08:30 - 17:00
Friday 08:30 - 16:00

The library is also available for use outside of these hours by NPIA staff, students and visiting police personnel. Access at weekends can sometimes be arranged, but please telephone in advance to check with the Chief Librarian.

Non-police researchers are welcome to apply to visit. A "day visit application form" should be submitted at least one month prior to the proposed visit.

You are required to submit a detailed justification for your request to use the facilities and provide a statement from a referee confirming the authenticity of your request. International applicants should give two months' notice.

Visitors will have access to:

• Our comprehensive collection of published material
• Terminals to search the library catalogue
• Terminals to access the Internet
• Microsoft Office applications
• CD-ROMs held in the library
• Photocopiers to make copies of extracts of books and journals (payable at the end of the visit).