The Police Ombudsman has concluded that a police officer acted appropriately when he discharged a Taser at an armed robber in west Belfast in November 2008.
The incident, the first operational use of a Taser by police in Belfast and the second in Northern Ireland, happened at the Park Centre retail park on 28 November 2008 after a man used a knife to steal a cash box from a security guard.
The Taser, which uses an electric shock to temporarily disable the person/s it is aimed at, was used against the man after lunged at officers with the knife as he tried to make off from the scene. It malfunctioned but the man was apprehended after a short chase. He was later convicted of robbery.
As is normal procedure following discharges of firearms by police officers, the Police Ombudsman's Office was immediately informed and launched an investigation into the circumstances of the incident.
The Office's on-call critical incident team went to the scene and oversaw its forensic examination. They also secured accounts from members of the public who saw what happened and from police witnesses and analysed CCTV footage of the incident.
The officer who discharged the weapon stated that he did so after the robber tried to attack him with the knife. He told investigators that he used the Taser as an alternative to live fire, and in light of the immediate danger posed by the armed suspect to himself, his colleagues and members of the public.
He said that it was immediately obvious the Taser had not worked properly when the suspect was able to throw the cash box and knife to the ground before running off.
The officer's account was corroborated by police, by members of the public who saw what happened and by CCTV footage.
The investigation also established that the Taser had malfunctioned after part of a cartridge had become lodged in the weapon when it fell to the ground during the struggle with the offender.
The PSNI has since implemented recommendations made by the Police Ombudsman, Mr Al Hutchinson, to help prevent this happening again.
Mr Hutchinson added that the police operation had been well planned and executed, and complied with national guidelines and good practice.