Police could don jet suits to fly through the air and catch criminals in the years to come if new technology is considered.
Senior police and government officials got to see a human jet suit in action at a demonstration of emerging science and technology that could help fight crime and terrorism.
In a fictitious scenario at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) based at Porton Down, near Salisbury, the pilot swooped on a would-be assailant on the run by flying rapidly through the air.
Mr Hewitt described the system as “incredibly noisy” and quite “science-fictiony” but “really impressive” and as having “lots of potential”.
He added: “This is all about utility for police officers to be able to do their job better, do it quicker, keep people safer, keep themselves safe.
The thousand horsepower jet system, called Gravity, was founded by Richard Browning, who is also its test pilot.
He said: “With the flight capability, we can actually go and outrun … and … contain that threat.”
The jet suit could be particularly useful for catching a “roving threat”, such as over rooftops, in crowded urban spaces or on tricky terrains, according to Mr Browning.
