Lasso aims to reel in crooks

Traffic cops will be able to stop crooks ‘cowboy-style’ if a new lasso system gets official approval

Auto Express Car Reviews

Spiked: wheel hits device and barbed spikes bite into the rubber

17th June 2007

A development of the Stinger currently used by police and the barbed X-Net laid across military checkpoints, the super-strong lasso goes a step further. It has a belt-style loop made of bullet-proof Kevlar and studded with barbed spikes. They bite into the stolen car’s tyres, deflating them and pulling the loop around the axle. The lasso’s extra-tough synthetic rope unwinds from a pulley that can either be anchored to a concrete block or bolted on to a special HGV-rated tow truck. As the rope unwinds, a hydraulic valve slows it down and brings the car to a stop.

Developed by Canadian-based inventor Robert Boll, it will have to go through extensive trials before the Association of Chief Police Officers approves it for UK roads. And if it passes the tests, traffic police would need special training to use the lasso effectively.

Developers plan to keep officers safely out of harm’s way by using a radio-controlled trolley that deposits the lasso in the path of the fleeing vehicle. It can be remotely steered into position and triggered to release the barbed loop just seconds before the suspect car arrives.