Cars in the European Union (EU) may soon be equipped with a kill switch that can be controlled remotely by the police to stop a speeding vehicle.
Statewatch, a watchdog monitoring police powers in the EU, has leaked confidential documents from a committee of senior EU police officers. The leaked documents show a plan to remotely stop cars as part of law enforcement surveillance and tracking measures. The EU is said to be developing a device that will be fitted to cars to enable police to disable vehicles just with a flick of a switch.
"The project will work on a technological solution that can be a 'build in standard' for all cars that enter the European market," said the restricted document.
The devices may be equipped in cars by the end of this decade. Once the device is enabled, the supply of fuel to the engine will stop and the ignition will also be switched off.
The key aim of the technology is to stop dangerous high-speed car chases and bring an end to current car stopping techniques such as spiking a car's tyres.
However, the device may also see opposition as dangerous high-speed car chases may not be a common issue in many regions.
"We all know about the problems surrounding police stop and searches, so why will be these cars stopped in the first place," said Tony Bunyan, director of Statewatch. "We also need to know if there is any evidence that this is a widespread problem. Let's have some evidence that this is a problem, and then let's have some guidelines on how this would be used."
The plans to use the technology that can bring a moving car to a standstill remotely is said to have been signed off by the EU's Standing Committee on Operational Cooperation on Internal Security (Cosi), which means that the project also has the support of senior British Home Office civil servants and police officers.
Cosi was set up in 2010 by the Lisbon EU Treaty to develop and implement European internal security policy without the oversight of MPs in the House of Commons.
Douglas Carswell, the Conservative MP for Clacton, opposed the plan for threatening civil liberties.
"The price we pay for surrendering our democratic sovereignty is that we are governed by an unaccountable secretive clique," said Carswell.
David Davis, the Conservative MP for Haltemprice and Howden, said that the technology may pose a danger to other cars on the road.
"I would be fascinated to know what the state's liability will be if they put these devices in all vehicles and one went off by accident whilst a car was doing 70mph on a motorway with a truck behind it resulting in loss of life," said Davis.
