The device called X-Net is a spiked web which wraps itself around a car's wheels and axles, puncturing the tires and stopping the vehicle within 80 yards, The Daily Mail has learned.
The device is made by UK defence research firm QinetiQ and costs around £3,000 . “The X-Net is a portable, lightweight spiked net that is able to bring a range of road vehicles to a complete standstill, typically within 75 meters,” a spokeswoman for the company said. "The nets take fewer than 20 seconds to deploy and cause minimal damage to the vehicle it is used on,” she added.
As a matter of fact, this kind of high-tech nets are used by US military forces in the Middle East to stop suicide bombers, but the British officers intend to use them to stop stolen cars.
“This is a very good piece of equipment and it is something we will be integrating more into police operations.,” said county council road safety chief Garry Handley. “When we use this equipment it will help us bring dangerous situations to a halt more safely,” he added.
More importantly, the X-Net is believed to be more effective than a “stinger” device because it makes the driving impossible to continue.
In case you wonder how such a device works, you should know that the 19ft x 10ft net is thrown across the road in front of an approaching car in a similar way to a stinger. The good part is that it is fully re-usable if it can be removed from the underside of the far.
For the moment, Kent Police is the only other force that confirmed using the kits.
Just to remind you, we have already told you about another similar device called SQUID that can stop any car without causing damage or endangering the passengers. The Safe Quick Undercarriage Immobilization Device is based on a 1.5-foot-wide disc that must be deployed by a police officer once the fleeing vehicle is a half second away.
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