COMMENT: Why the death of Dalian Atkinson will once again ignite the Taser controversy

Fondly remembered by Villa fans and team-mates, the 48-year-old died less than two hours after being Tasered in the street by police officers.

A tragic and undignified end to a man who became a club legend thanks to his 1992/93 season 'wonder goal'.

The circumstances of this police incident are not yet known and will quite rightly be the subject of an Independent Police Complaints Commission.

But in the meantime, questions will be asked again about the use of Tasers by our police forces. Dalian Atkinson is not the first person to die after being hit by one of these guns which have a 50,000 peak voltage.

So when a police officer makes a decision to discharge a Taser, they must be sure this is the only reasonable and necessary course of action.

Tasers were used more than 10,000 times by police across the country in one year, figures show, although in 80 per cent of cases they were not actually discharged. Fortunately, the risk of harm to the target is very slight.

So if not Tasers, how do we protect our frontline police officers? Many people, the powers-that-be and the police themselves are opposed to the suggestion that we follow the American route and give officers firearms.

But we cannot underestimate the dangers that our officers are facing every single day on our streets. We have witnessed the scourge of the terrifying Zombie knife which from Thursday will be illegal, but not obsolete. Images at the weekend of knives, hammers and pistols dropped in the police amnesty boxes were chilling.

Officers often face violent individuals high on drugs, part of a gang or presenting a weapon which may or may not be a genuine, live firearm.

Do we really want them to face these threats with a standard truncheon? This is real life, not a Punch and Judy puppet show.

It is right that the terrible death of Dalian Atkinson be fully investigated and tough questions asked.

The use of Tasers might reasonably be reconsidered in the light of these inquiries. But an ill-considered, knee-jerk reaction to this tragedy could leave our valiant police officers at greater risk – and the consequences of that could also prove fatal.