A woman who was struck with Taser after lunging at police officers with a knife, has said she believes police were right to use the weapon against her.

The incident happened in north Belfast in September 2010 as police responded to an emergency call from the woman’s mother, who said she was concerned for her daughter’s safety.

 She reported that her daughter, who had mental health problems, had said she was going to kill herself.

The use of Taser was referred by the police to the Police Ombudsman’s Office for independent investigation.

When interviewed by Police Ombudsman investigators, the woman accepted that police had been correct to use Taser against her.

Statements were also obtained from the officers who responded to the call. They said they arrived at the woman’s home to find her banging on a front window with a large kitchen knife and shouting threats at officers.

A police Armed Response Vehicle (ARV) crew was tasked to deal with the incident. By the time they arrived, the woman had left her house and was in a car park nearby.

The ARV officers said that as they approached, the woman lunged at them several times with the knife and said she would kill them. She then ran off and was pursued by the officers.

When they caught up with her, the officers said the woman raised her arm to head height and held the knife in a stabbing position. An officer then shouted a warning before discharging his Taser, which proved effective and allowed police to bring her under control. She was given medical treatment before being taken to Belfast’s Mater Hospital.

Enquiries confirmed that the use of Taser during the incident had been properly authorised and that the officer who used the weapon was properly trained in its use.

Police Ombudsman, Dr Michael Maguire, concluded that the use of Taser had been “lawful, proportionate and necessary” and complied with all relevant PSNI guidelines.