Metal-Detector Gloves: Ma'am, Your Bum is Setting Off My Alarm

by Jordan Yerman | February 26, 2007 at 12:47 pm

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These newfangled metal-detector gloves "enable a search to be carried out more discreetly"? In what sense? Do they expect British cops to be out playing grab-*ss in public? Uh-oh. Sounds like a privacy nightmare and a porno plot, all in one.

I like sci-fi gloves, too, but what's the real aim here? What qualifies as a "sensitive area"? Does it matter, if "public places" are also on the agenda?

A high-tech glove that can detect whether someone is carrying a hidden weapon is being tested by police.

The 'robogloves' allow officers to check for knives, guns and other metal objects simply by running their hands over a suspect's body - or even just pointing a finger.

Made of Kevlar, the material used in body armour, the battery-operated devices vibrate to alert the wearer if they discover metal.

Police in Merseyside are testing a prototype range after an initial trial by community support officers proved successful.

Inspector Julie Ellison of Merseyside Police said: 'We are constantly looking at new technology to detect weapons and take them off the streets and we are confident that these gloves will allow officers to search people safely and efficiently.

'The feedback from officers who have been using them in training is positive and we look forward to seeing how they perform on the street.'

The manufacturers claim the £200-a-pair gloves are superior to hand-held metal detectors as they enable a search to be carried out more discreetly.

They also allow for covert searches as only the officer wearing them knows if a weapon is found.