Police net closing in on crooks

21st February 2009

A new Spiderman-inspired weapon is being used to close the web on car criminals.

The X-Net has been secretly added to the armouries of forces in Gloucestershire and Kent. The mesh-based gizmo uses steel spikes to puncture tyres, before a sticky plastic webbing wraps around a car’s axle to bring pursuits to an end.

Auto Express first featured the device in January 2004 (Issue 787), when it was being tested by security expert Qinetiq.

So far, neither force has deployed the X-Net, but the US military has used it regularly around the world to stop suicide bombers, protect checkpoints and create ‘secure zones’.

Kent Police said its three nets are being saved for use in major operations. A spokesman said: “The risk to the public must justify the need to stop a vehicle, and authorisation is needed before an X-Net can be used.”

A spokeswoman for Qinetiq added two new versions are also in development – a remotely operated one and a Trux-Net, for larger vehicles. More police forces across the country will adopt the X-Net once Home Office approval is secured.