Stingers track crooks

By Julie Sinclair

07th June 2008

A brilliant new device which fires a microchip tracker into car tyres is set to spike fuel thieves.

Run-flat rubber is normally immune to punctures caused by forecourt ‘stingers’ – as its stiffened sidewalls allow crooks to get away. But the latest technology will put a stop to that, by injecting tiny tracking devices into the tyres.

Drivestop, the Birmingham firm developing the system, already sells stingers which insert traceable data pods into the rubber. These contain details of the forecourt where the drive-off took place.

Around 18 filling stations across the UK have invested in the £10,000 technology, according to the kit’s designer, Jaginder Singh Mudhar, with more set to follow. He said: “Garages which spot the chips when repairing or replacing a punctured tyre can pass the information to the police.

“If necessary, officers can then use CCTV footage from the relevant filling station to catch the vehicle driving off.”

But according to Singh Mudhar, the new system goes one step further. He explained: “It would allow police to trace, track and arrest thieves before they can leave the area.” The authorities have even asked whether the stingers could be activated remotely, triggered by ANPR or CCTV cameras.

“They’re interested in using this latest technology to boost security at the London Olympics in 2012,” added Singh Mudhar. “It would be employed at car parks or at sites across the capital to stop criminals or terrorists in their tracks.”