THE latest weapon to combat car stealing was yesterday put on show.
Strathclyde and Lothian and Borders Police, concerned by the sharp
rise in stolen cars, have been seeking a restraining device.
They yesterday confirmed that, because of successful trials in
England, they had bought an American-built device known as the Stinger.
It consists of spikes mounted on a folding arm. It can be deployed
across any roadway in the path of a speeding vehicle.
As the car passes over it, the spikes are drawn into a tyre, causing
it to deflate within 20 seconds. But, unlike some deterrents, the
Stinger brings vehicles to a halt safely.
Strathclyde purchased 12 of them, at a cost of #425 each. They
deployed them for the first time last night during an exercise in the
Milton housing scheme in Glasgow.
Earlier, senior police officers demonstrated the effectiveness of the
device at a launch in Newhouse, Lanarkshire. A vehicle being driven at
more than 50mph was brought to a standstill within a short distance.
Mr Ian Mackinnon, secretary of the Association of Chief Police
Officers in Scotland, said that police were now becoming more exposed to
the greater dangers involved in attempting to halt speeding stolen
vehicles.
Chief Inspector Frank Stewart, based at Strathclyde's traffic
department at Motherwell, said: ''Several police forces in England have
been testing the device over the last 18 months and the results have
been remarkable.''
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