Could these powerful glue guns bring the days of high-speed police chases screeching to a halt? 

Police in Scotland could be given powerful pneumatic rifles and vehicle-mounted launchers to shoot sticky tracking devices onto fleeing cars.

The force is looking to deploy the cutting-edge technology in order to reduce the need for dangerous high-speed chases that risk causing death and injury for officers, suspects and members of the public.

Instead of having to race through the streets in hot pursuit, officers would be able to track suspects remotely - then arrest them safely wherever they stop.

The GPS launcher technology being considered has already been hailed a success by forces across America.

The market leader for the tech is a US firm called StarChase. Last year the New York Police Department introduced the company’s hand-held GPS launchers for officers.

The bright yellow rifles are fitted with a laser scope for accurate targeting and use compressed air to fire an adhesive GPS tag up to 40 feet.

The launcher fires a GPS tracking tag that sticks onto a suspect’s vehicle

Once the GPS tag sticks to the vehicle, it sends info on the position of the vehicle in real time

According to the manufacturer, the system provides a ‘safe alternative for law enforcement during pursuit-related events.’

The firm adds: ‘The GPS launcher deploys a GPS tracking tag onto a suspect’s vehicle. Once the GPS tag sticks to the vehicle, it communicates positional data in real time. Law enforcement can then plan and coordinate an informed tactical response to make a safe arrest while maintaining community and officer safety.’

Each foam projectile is covered with a heat-activated glue that sticks to a suspect vehicle without causing permanent damage.

The company explains: ‘The GPS tags allow suspects to be tracked and apprehended without being pursued at dangerous speeds during vehicle pursuits. The tag sends updates every three to five seconds, allowing for close surveillance of suspect vehicles and providing air and ground support with tactical monitoring capabilities.’

The company also claims the system can help track and recover stolen vehicles, and conduct covert operations ‘safely and effectively’.

StarChase also supplies vehicle-mounted GPS launchers which are used in various parts of America including Michigan, Tennessee, Texas and Washington State.

The launchers are hidden behind the front grille of the police car, meaning officers only have to chase a fleeing vehicle for long enough to tag it before backing off and tracking its location remotely.

Analysis carried out by the US government-funded National Criminal Justice Technology Research, Test, and Evaluation Center found the system had ‘a positive impact.’

A report stated: ‘Police vehicle pursuits may end in crashes that result in significant property damage and sometimes loss of life.’

It added: ‘GPS-enabled pursuit technologies provide remote tracking capability when line-of-sight tracking is not feasible.’

It concluded: ‘Implementing a technology such as StarChase does not mean that an agency will never need to pursue a suspect vehicle at high speeds, but it serves as one strategy to help reduce the number of such pursuits and promote increased safety for officers and the public.’

In Scotland, the dangers of police chases have been repeatedly demonstrated by a string of crashes and collisions.

In April this year two officers were hospitalised when their police car crashed in Perth while pursuing a black Volkswagen Golf that had been seen driving erratically.

In July, 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 in the Stirling area. The Police Investigations and Review Commissioner is currently investigating the incident.

In 2016 Edinburgh nurse Jill Pirrie, 33, was knocked down and killed by a speeding teenage driver who was being chased by police.

The mother of one was walking home from work at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary in May 2016 when she was hit from behind by a Ford Ka being driven by Dylan Jenkin.

She was thrown against a wall and suffered fractured ribs and fatal injuries to her chest and head.

Jenkin, who was 18 at the time, had bought the car for £40 off the internet and didn’t have a licence or insurance.

When police spotted the battered, uninsured, vehicle they signalled for him to stop - but he sped off.

The launchers have already been used successfully in the US 

As officers in a marked police car gave chase, Jenkin lost control on the city’s Old Dalkeith Road.

He later pled guilty to causing Ms Perrie’s death by driving dangerously - and was sentenced to six years in jail.

Ms Pirrie’s father later said he did not blame the police for his daughter’s death.

Police Scotland has now confirmed it is planning to purchase ‘GPS Tracking Devices for Vehicle Pursuits’ and is assessing how the technology could best be deployed.

A spokesperson said: ‘The public should rightly expect us to explore technology that could keep people safe and help detect crime. 

Work is at an early stage to fully understand what would be required before any potential implementation.’