Some years ago, I was looking for a relative who we knew was guilty of a crime around 1900 - 1910. The police records at Gloucester archives were closed, so I contacted the head of Gloucester police, explained the circumstances and asked if I could see their records. I was given a letter for the archives giving me permission to have that one record accessed. However, I was living in Halifax at the time and before I could get to Gloucester again, I found the information from a different source, so never used the letter.