UK police could get Ghostbusters-style backpack devices to halt ebike getaways (opens in new tab)

Considering how nimble e-bikes and e-scooters are, how will the UK police be able to properly catch, aim and target thieves while those heavy backpacks on? What's the chance they hit someone else with their EMP?

This feels like an Onion article or the UK police has too much money and free time on their hands instead of attacking the issue of petty crime from the source: poor education? shit jobs market (especially for migrants)? unaffordable living? etc

"Police hope the devicewill be harmless to humans and other devices." It's funny when reputable news outlets let silly spelling or grammar problems slip. You'd think they'd have automated away this problem long ago. It makes me sceptical of how much quality investigation and analysis is involved.

All e-scooters and most e-bikes are completely illegal on UK roads. Would be pretty amusing (and dangerous) to see this used on a busy street filled with hundreds of illegal riders.

> Police already have technology to stop cars remotely using radio and electromagnetic waves.

Never heard about this one. Anybody got a link, or even name?

> They were also telling me it has the potential to be useful with normal combustion engine vehicles

Yikes. Honestly I'm a bit surprised criminals don't already have their own EMP weapons now.

Effect on pacemakers?

DC ("brushed") motors won't be affected by that, especially if controlled with no transistors. See for example how old DC-powered electric railway rolling stock was built, from pre-power electronics era.

Are people in the UK no longer panicking about "small boats" anymore? I guess ebikes make sense for a new anxiety focus, given that they are smaller than most other other motorized land transport.

Seems a little silly.

Do any UK HNers have thoughts on why phone theft is so common there? It’s not really a thing in the US (or hasn’t been for years), so I’m curious why it’s such an issue over there.

The first person hit by this gets a free pension..

Ok but what happens if they cross the streams??

All the car, smartphone, insulin pump, and pacemaker owners will surely appreciate this new and exciting EM pulse. And if this device does indeed cause overheating, so will all NHS amalgam dental filling owners and people with implants.

Unfortunately, "the weapon was in development and could be months away from being available, though it is expected to be longer than that", so the public can't enjoy it just yet.

Anyways, what will the criminals do? Will they have to buy petrol scooters again? This will set them back multiple months technologically! Although there are now petrol kick-style stand up scooters, so maybe not.

This sounds like a sketch from Silicon Valley (TV).