Smart spray to tag and trace illegal off-road bike riders

Police in Tameside are using a new deterrent to fight the illegal riding off-road, quad and e-bikes.

GMP say spraying riders with SmartTag will make evidence gathering against anti-social behaviour offenders easier. 

The yellow liquid has a unique forensic code that links it back to the canister it came from, which in turn helps officers pinpoint where and when it was used. 

A spokesperson from GMP said: “We are delighted to be able to get these canister delivered and out in operation across the force immediately. 

“This device will hopefully act as a deterrent to those participating in anti-social behaviour on motorbikes, e-bikes and quad bikes as they now know that they will be sprayed with a solution that will link them back to the scene of the crime. 

“That is our aim, we will mark these bikes and further down the line when we come across them, we can tag them to those previous incidents, take them forward to prosecution and to get the message across to the public that we are doing something about this issue.” 

Officers can deploy the spray from up to ten metres away, which the company behind it, DeterTech, said: “Not only does this reduce physical contact between security personnel and the individual, but it’s likely to prevent further escalation as the individual is aware they are now traceable to the event.”  

They also claim the technology has a 100% conviction rate when used as evidence in court cases.