POLICE will be armed with new high-tech devices to help catch acid thugs.

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5 Acid attacks are continuing to rise in Britain with 15 now carried out a week Credit: Getty Images

They will be issued as part of an extension of police stop and search powers aimed at tackling violent crime.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid is changing the rules to allow officers to stop anyone suspected of carrying harmful liquids — not just knives and firearms.

The action is a further victory for The Sun on Sunday’s Stop the Acid Maniacs campaign.

It follows a decision last April to ban under-18s from buying acid - and making it a crime to possess deadly corrosives in public.

5 Home Secretary Sajid Javid is changing the rules to allow officers to stop anyone suspected of carrying harmful liquids Credit: PA:Press Association/PA Images

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But many acid-throwers hide their deadly “weapon” in innocent-looking paint tins or perfume bottles.

And senior police say kit being devised by scientists will enable them to determine on the spot whether an individual is carrying corrosives and take immediate action to stop a life-threatening attack.

5 Sajid Javid is changing stop and search powers for our police Credit: Alamy Live News

5 Acid attacks in London alone soared in 2016

Incidents of acid-throwing - which can leave victims maimed, blinded or disfigured - have trebled in recent years, with more than 600 carried out in 2016.

A boy of three was seriously hurt in one attack in the West Midlands this summer. And two teenagers were sprayed in the face with a noxious substance in East London recently.

Currently, police can only stop and search a suspect when they have evidence a person is about to cause an injury - but the changes will give them more scope to intervene.

5 There's been a huge rise in acid attacks in East London, but the figures crept up across the capital last year

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Police Minister Nick Hurd said: “Acid attacks are appalling acts of violence that devastate lives and can have fatal consequences.

“A bottle of acid can be as lethal as a knife or a firearm, and these new powers will enable police officers to prevent these despicable thugs from carrying out their terrible crimes.

“Stop and search is a vital and effective policing tool when used correctly.

"We will always seek to give police the powers they need to crack down on violent crime and bring perpetrators to justice.”

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Rachel Kearton, of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, added: “Tackling the scourge of acid attacks requires a coordinated approach across a number of different organisations and sectors.

“I support proposals to extend stop and search powers, so that they cover individuals suspected of carrying a corrosive substance in public without good reason.

“Stop and search is ultimately a safeguarding power – we use it to prevent crime, identify those who intend to cause harm and disrupt serious and organised crime networks.

"Officers should be confident to use stop and search – proportionately and respectfully – because it’s an important investigative tool.”

How to treat an acid attack and what to do if you’re a witness or involved in an incident