Police will fire sticky tracker ‘darts' onto vehicles to avoid deadly high-speed chases
Police Scotland is to pilot the high-tech GPS kit in a bid to avoid hot pursuits which put the public at risk.
Police will fire sticky tracker 'darts' onto vehicles to slash the danger posed by high-speed chases in Scotland.
The force has shelled out £450,000 to pilot high-tech kit which allows cops to launch GPS devices onto cars and stalk suspects remotely in a bid to avoid a hot pursuit through the streets.
The move comes after a string of officers were injured and members of the public were killed as a result of car chases in recent years and follows the lead of other police forces in the UK and US.
Police Scotland confirmed it would be delivering a pilot of the devices 'in selected areas of Scotland'.
And a road safety expert yesterday said their use could be a 'significant step' in reducing the threat police pursuits pose to the public.
Nicholas Lyes, Policy and Standards Director at IAM RoadSmart, a charity formerly known as The Institute Of Advanced Motorists, said: 'Despite the fact police are highly trained in pursuits like these they still pose a potential danger to our roads.
'While the police are highly trained, the person that they're chasing is clearly not. Every time there is a chase on the road the risk to pedestrians and everyone else goes up significantly.
'Any technological advance that can reduce the chances of this happening could be a significant step.
'While this doesn't necessarily stop the criminals who are being chased from driving really dangerously, it can reduce the amount of time they're on the road because police can track them and stop them more quickly.'
The contract for the new trackers was awarded to GMK Ltd - a top supplier of firearms and related tactical products into the UK Police, Emergency Services, and Ministry of Defence.
In the US, several police departments have started using StarChase hand held or vehicle-mounted launchers that fire foam 'dart' projectiles with a heat-activated sticky glue at fleeing vehicles - hailing the trackers as a major safety tool protecting communities and officers.
StarChase's exclusive supplier in the UK is GMK.
In 2022, Surrey and Sussex Police were part of a trial of the new technology.
The force deployed StarChase multiple times in a six month period, nine of which stopped the pursuit from developing.
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In Scotland, the dangers of police chases have been repeatedly highlighted by a string of serious crashes.
On Saturday, a dramatic police chase ended with a car going into the River Clyde.
Police pursued a car carrying two males at around 9pm after the vehicle allegedly failed to stop on Law Street in Glasgow.
A teenager was later arrested.
In January, a police officer was seriously injured in a crash during a pursuit of a car which was reported to have been driving dangerously on the A82 south of Inverness.
In July last year, a 27-year-old man died after a white Vauxhall Corsa crashed off the M9 motorway and down an embankment during a police pursuit in the Stirling area.
In April last year two officers were left in hospital when their police car crashed in Perth while pursuing a black Volkswagen Golf.
And tragedy struck in May 2016 when Edinburgh nurse Jill Pirrie, 33, was knocked down and killed by a speeding teenage driver who was being chased by police.
The mum-of-one was walking home from work at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary when she was hit from behind by a Ford Ka being driven by Dylan Jenkin, who had bought the car for £40 off the internet and didn't have a licence or insurance.
A marked police car gave chase after officers signalled for 18-year-old Jenkins to stop, but he sped off.
He was sentenced to six years in jail for causing the nurse's death by dangerous driving.
A contract award notice published in recent days shows the force has struck a deal with GMK for delivery of the 'supply and installation of GPS tracking devices for police pursuits'.
Police Scotland said it could not comment on the specific type of devices to be used for operational reasons.
A spokeswoman said: 'Work is ongoing to deliver a pilot of the devices in selected areas of Scotland.'
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