The mother of a drunken teenager restrained by police with a stun gun when he threatened to kill himself in the grounds of a primary school insists the operation was “badly managed”.
Officers also fired a rubber bullet at the knife-wielding 15-year-old following a stand-off in Bannockburn lasting several hours.
An independent review ruled that the use of force was “proportionate and justified” but the boy’s mother believes that she should have been allowed to intervene.
Officers prevented her reaching her son during the tense negotiations on Saturday May 4.
The woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, told The Courier: “I’ll be honest, my son was absolutely drunk that night. He tried to slit his throat with a kitchen knife, although it was only a nick, but he was bleeding.
“Then he ran out the house with the knife and that’s when all the police came.
The mother added: “I think it was badly managed by the police. It’s quite a lot for a young lad to take a rubber bullet.
“I don’t know anything about Tasers but he said he went all that shocked way. There was bruising and he’s still getting tingling. He had a bump on his head too.
“He didn’t deserve that. This is what hurts me. It must have been very frightening. He’s been getting flashbacks. It’s affected me too. I was put on sleeping tablets. I had to get counselling.”
During the stand-off, the youngster cut himself on his hands and arms with the foot-long kitchen knife and, when he threatened to plunge the blade into his chest, officers fired a rubber bullet and a stun gun.
After he was incapacitated by the electric current, the youngster was disarmed and taken to hospital where he was treated for self-inflicted wounds.
Officers charged him with possession of a knife and a public order offence and the procurator fiscal later referred the case to the Children’s Reporter.
His mother said: “I don’t think he was ever going to do it. If my son had wanted to kill himself, he would have done it earlier, when he was in the house.
“I just wish they’d let me or his older brother try to take the knife off him. I said I’d take responsibility but they wouldn’t let me near.”
The Police Investigations and Review Commissioner found that officers at the scene acted appropriately.
Professor John McNeill, of the PIRC, said: “In this case, the use of the baton round and Taser allowed police to control the boy, disarm him and ensured that he did not seriously injure either himself or the officers.
“In the circumstances there was no less forceful method to resolve this incident safely.”
Deputy Chief Constable Neil Richardson said: “We acknowledge the findings of their report that officers acted both professionally and proportionately while following guidelines.”
The boy’s mother admitted: “He’s not a bad laddie.He’s an angry laddie because his dad isn’t there and doesn’t want anything to do with him and my dad died last year, which has also affected him.”
She added: “I’m trying to get him under control but it’s hard being a single mum bringing up a teenage son.”