The Police Ombudsman has found that police were justified in discharging six AEP impact rounds during serious rioting in Bangor's Kilcooley Estate in August 2007 - and in fact would have been justified in firing rounds earlier than they did.
Severe disorder broke out at around 5pm on 1 August 2007 after police searched 14 properties in the estate.
Police attacked with live fire, blast bombs, fireworks, petrol bombs, paint bombs and masonry.
Calm returned to the area at around 1am the following morning, by which stage police had been attacked with live fire, blast bombs, fireworks, petrol bombs, paint bombs and masonry.
At the height of the disorder, a crowd of between 150 and 200 people were involved in rioting.
Permission to deploy baton rounds was given by the police Gold Commander at 7.15pm, after which permission to authorise their use was devolved to the police Silver and Bronze commanders.
The first round was not used until 11.42pm as the rioters closed in and attacked police Land Rovers at close quarters. It was aimed at a male who was repeatedly trying to smash the front passenger window of a Land Rover.
A further five rounds were discharged over the course of the next six minutes as rioters launched a series of close range attacks on two police Land Rovers. The rioters were reported to be attempting to break the vehicles' windows using large pieces of masonry, and at one point the passenger side window of a Land Rover was completely shattered.
All six baton rounds discharged were reported to have struck their targets.
The six rounds were discharged by two police baton gunners, who reported that all had struck their intended targets.
During the course of their investigation of the AEP discharges, Police Ombudsman investigators obtained all relevant police documentation and secured video footage of the disorder from fixed, mobile and helicopter cameras. Additional footage was also obtained from Youtube.
Police radio transmissions were reviewed, and these confirmed that the relevant authorisations for the use of baton rounds, and the subsequent withdrawal of authorisation, were properly communicated to police units on the ground.
Police attempted to avoid the use of AEP rounds by engaging with community representatives.
Police Ombudsman investigators also obtained evidence that police had engaged with community representatives both prior to and after the discharge of AEPs in a bid to reduce the need for their use.
Enquiries established that the officers who discharged the rounds were properly trained in AEP use, and that police had issued a number of warnings to the crowd before any AEP rounds were discharged.
Having reviewed the evidence, the Police Ombudsman, Mr Al Hutchinson,.concluded that the use of AEPs was a lawful, justified and proportionate response to "a life threatening situation" during which officers had been attacked with live fire, blast bombs and petrol bombs.
He said it was fortunate that no officers had been injured, and commented on the fact that AEPs had not been discharged until a late stage of the disorder.
"From the available evidence, police would have been equally justified in discharging AEPs at an earlier stage and indeed this may have resulted in an earlier dispersal of rioters and a more timely restoration of order," said Mr Hutchinson.
He added that he had found no evidence of criminal or disciplinary misconduct by any officer during the disturbances.