Australia NSW: The Daily Telegraph reports that the state’s police divers have been equipped with Shark Shields which emit an electric impulse but as yet it is notcompulsory to use them.
A police spokesman has allegedly said that assessments are made before each dive, taking into account thewater and weather and location. He went on further to say that NSWpolice have now instigated a policy review of the use of the shield, andcompulsory use may be one of the issues under review.
Shark phobia and the recent spate of shark sightings and incidents with sharks in Australia has seen a huge increase in demand for theAustralian-made Shark Shield’s unique protection against the marinepredators, its makers said yesterday.
SeaChange Technology co-founder Rod Hartley said his company hadfielded “amazing numbers” of requests for information from dive andsurf shops across Australia, with a 200 per cent increase in inquiriesin the past two months.
He said the Shark Shield – invented in South Africa – works byemitting exceptionally strong electrical impulses that are intenselypainful to sharks.
A promotional video of Shark Shield may be seen here.
