The Police Ombudsman has concluded that police acted properly when they used Tasers against a man who was armed with a knife and had earlier stabbed a neighbour's dog.
The incident happened outside a bar on the Newtownards Road in Belfast on 11 April 2009.
Officers had been briefed that the man had a mental disorder and had stabbed a dog. They also received information suggesting that he still had a knife and had earlier threatened to kill his neighbour. Armed response officers were sent to the scene and ordered the man to stand still and show his hands.
When the man instead reached inside his coat with his right hand, an officer discharged his Taser to prevent him reaching for a knife. The discharge proved ineffective and the man then produced a knife with a blade of around 12 inches long.
Officers told Police Ombudsman investigators that the man then thrust the knife towards an officer, at which point another officer discharged his Taser at the man from a range of about eight to 10 feet. This time it proved effective - causing the man to fall to the ground and allowing officers to disarm and handcuff him.
Civilian witnesses interviewed by Police Ombudsman investigators confirmed that the man had been armed with a knife. The incident scene was also examined and the location of items discharged from the two Tasers was consistent with the officers' accounts.
Investigators also reviewed the information on which the police operation had been planned, and concluded that it had been "an appropriate response to a significant threat of violence". A suitable chain of command had also been appointed and proper documentary records had been kept.
Both officers who discharged their weapons were found to have been properly trained and authorised to use them at the time of the incident.
Police Ombudsman Al Hutchinson concluded: "It is clear from the officers' accounts and associated records that the operation was planned and executed effectively in accordance with national guidelines and best practice, and that the use of Tasers was lawful, proportionate, justified and necessary."