Police could get Ghostbusters-style backpacks in fightback against fleeing e-bike criminals

The new backpacks would contain a device capable of firing electromagnetic rays capable of shutting down the batteries which power e-bikes.

"According to The Guardian, the devices were demonstrated to police leaders at the Farnborough technology show earlier in the year.

Stephens added: “They were also telling me it has the potential to be useful with normal combustion engine vehicles.”"

 

https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/police-could-get-ghostbusters-style-backpacks-in-a-bid-to-stop-fleeing-e-bike-cr/

Edited June 7, 2025Jun 7 by lenny

TV detector vans again methinks.. any 'emp ray backpacks' that appear will just be cosplay.

Which aspect of a battery, controller, and motor would be susceptible to electromagnetic interference at a level provided from a backpack?

 

Bluff..... counter productive too.

 

Smacks of impotent desperation.

Which aspect of a battery, controller, and motor would be susceptible to electromagnetic interference at a level provided from a backpack?

 

 

"The new backpacks would contain a device capable of firing electromagnetic rays capable of shutting down the batteries which power e-bikes."

 

"All these electric motors apparently have an inbuilt safety system that if it thinks it's overheating, it shuts down,' Stephens said during a media briefing on Monday."

 

So that's clear as mud.

Far simpler and cheaper to issue them with broom handles .

A bigger version of a taser, the prongs would go through the battery case.

A bigger version of a taser, the prongs would go through the battery case.

Lol.

 

So much easier to do this:

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-london-46323418

Which aspect of a battery, controller, and motor would be susceptible to electromagnetic interference at a level provided from a backpack?

 

Bluff..... counter productive too.

 

Smacks of impotent desperation.

Without a backup google to check if emp related even if targeted (viable tech since the 80's at least) its sensitive electronics ie the controller/display/bms that are all at risk Im unsure if the hall sensors in the motor would be effected? but am pretty sure both magnets and coils are robust enough . So If a reality a simple wire mesh sheet could be wrapped around all the controller battery, display etc forming Faraday cages or bags and a protection against such attacks. Making it an obsolete tech imho.

Without a backup google to check if emp related even if targeted (viable tech since the 80's at least) its sensitive electronics ie the controller/display/bms that are all at risk Im unsure if the hall sensors in the motor would be effected? but am pretty sure both magnets and coils are robust enough . So If a reality a simple wire mesh sheet could be wrapped around all the controller battery, display etc forming Faraday cages or bags and a protection against such attacks. Making it an obsolete tech imho.

As described (backpack set up) It could not work anyway . The power producible as an electric pulse weapon in a backpack would be negligible.

 

Nuclear weapon emp pulse is another matter.

circa 90% of my understanding probably stems from a few utube vids i watched a couple of years back during lockdown where a few diy attempts at a build of such tech was attempted powered by an array of batteries only a utubers budget can afford. i think the US Channel tech ingredients? might have been one of em?

 

iirc its a yes its possible but requires silly power.. And is capable of interfering with and perhaps triggering exception handling resets of some systems but not the all out frying and bricking of all that the movies depict. but any real risk is easily mitigated with moderate and CHEAP shielding precautions.

A bigger version of a taser, the prongs would go through the battery case.

 

So, given the fleeing malcontent riding the bike, likely has the battery between his legs, how is this case penetrating electric tazer supposed to be used without maiming the raggamuffin fleeing the police?

 

This is a ridiculous idea, and if police are claiming they have such a device, they are lying in desperation.

 

Far better to police such villains robustly, and just push them off the bike as I have repeatedly recommended and shown video of.

 

Liberal whiners about 'human rights violations' can shut up. There is no right to flee from police defying lawful orders to stop. If it were known that bikes and mopeds and motorcycles refusing to stop would be subject to literal 'hard stop' intervention, the scum that do this, usually because they are committing a host of other crime, would stop when ordered to.

 

Try fleeing from the cops in the United States.

 

Only in namby pamby Britain would you get away with such tactics.

Far better to police such villains robustly, and just push them off the bike as I have repeatedly recommended and shown video of.

 

+1

 

That video never becomes boring...scum eating dust...

There is no right to flee from police defying lawful orders to stop.

Thank your lucky stars that anyone in the UK who fails to stop for the police can expect not to be shot in the back, the police still have to give chase and catch them, even though, once apprehended, they may fall down the steps on the way to the cells!