London’s police have unveiled a spiked net that is designed to halt the rampage of vehicles being used in terrorist attacks.
Police announced on Sunday that the net uses tungsten steel spikes to pierce the vehicle’s tyres and is then designed to get entangled in its wheels.
Police added that the net takes less than one minute to deploy and can stop and trap a vehicle that weighs up to 17-tons. It has already been used in Central London to protect a parade of Royal Navy personnel.
The Met's new equipment to help prevent attacks by hostile vehicles at public events https://t.co/5vkMiDqrKupic.twitter.com/rmvLOFeiNq
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) September 10, 2017
A spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Police said: “The system is also designed to ensure that the vehicle skids in a straight line, significantly reducing risk to crowds and producing a well controlled stop after which officers can engage with the driver.
“When the equipment is deployed, signs are placed in front and behind the net site advising both road users and pedestrians that there are spikes on the road and to follow instructions provided by officers.”
The new defense is a response to a string of terror attacks across the European continent that involved terrorists ramming pedestrians with cars, trucks and vans. Barcelona, London, Stockholm and Nice have all been subject to such attacks.