The
Stinger device is
supplied to Police forces throughout the UK. With the
device in hand, the police are able to stop a stolen
car in a controlled manor.
In the pursuit of a stolen vehicle, an officer is deployed further down the line, usually with help from a police helicopter unit, predicting the fleeing vehicles route. The officer on foot will wait for the fleeing vehicle and slide the stinger device across the road in the path of the vehicle and retract it immediately to avoid any pursuing police vehicle also getting 'stung'. The officer also needs to stay clear of the device when in use, as it could easily lash back. The stinger operator has a very important roll in stopping a stolen vehicle.
As the tyre rolls over the stinger device, the tips of the spikes embed deep into the tyre and stay. On the second turn of the tyre, the spikes push even further in. The spikes themselves are hollow and allow the air in the tyre out, deflating the tyre slowly. This in turn brings the car speed down slowly and safely, usually bringing a high speed chase to a safe stop.
There are theories and rumors of devices that are able to defeat the Stinger, such as the Wheel Safety Band, a device which allows a wheel to run a flat tyre, without the tyre coming away from the rim of the wheel. The device is also used by some Traffic Police cars as well as trucks and cars carrying VIPs. We have not yet found any evidence that the stinger is defeated by safety bands and other run-flat technology.
- The commonly used Stinger used in the UK (SpanSet) has been tested up to 115mph!
- Stingers actually rock in motion with the tyre to deploy as many spikes as possible
- On rare occasions, a car thief will drive around a stinger to avoid being stopped
- It takes an officer approximately 5 minutes to replace spikes on site
- A car tyre will use up around 6 spikes when the stinger is used
- It can take between 10 and 20 seconds to deflate a tyre
