UK police officers could be equipped with devices that can shut down the motors of e-bikes and e-scooters, where the rider is suspected of being involved in a crime, by firing an electromagnetic pulse at the vehicle that would trick the motor into thinking it’s overheating.
National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) chair Gavin Stephens said the device, which would require line of sight to work, was in development and could be months away from being available.
The device would be housed in a backpack, and has therefore drawn several comparisons to the proton packs used in the Ghostbusters films.
Stephens told a media briefing: “Basically, it interferes with the electric motor, to trick the electric motor into thinking it is overheating. It sends a signal to confuse the electric motor. All these electric motors apparently have an in-built safety system that if it thinks it’s overheating, it shuts down. At the minute, it’s like a ginormous backpack.”
The device would work with both e-bikes and e-scooters. E-scooters can currently only be ridden on UK roads when rented as part of official trials, but while use of privately-owned e-scooters is illegal, they can be legally purchased.
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Earlier this year, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary launched ‘Operation Crush’, destroying e-scooters and electric motorbikes which have been used to commit crimes.
Inspector Andy Tester said that due to the challenges of stopping and identifying riders, the vehicles were becoming “really popular” with those committing a variety of crimes.
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This latest equipment was demonstrated to police earlier this year at the Farnborough technology show. “They were also telling me it has the potential to be useful with normal combustion engine vehicles,” Stephens said.
The project is being overseen by NPCC chief scientific adviser Paul Taylor. The device is being developed with the Defence Science and Technology Lab, which is overseen by the Ministry of Defence.
