INUVIK - The family of the Inuvik teen who was Tasered two years ago said they are disappointed the officer involved will not face tougher consequences after a public investigation found the officer should not have used the Taser.

The report, released Dec. 11 by the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP, said Const. Noella Cockney acted unreasonably in using the weapon on March 13, 2007 on a handcuffed 15-year-old girl at Arctic Tern young offenders facility.

It also pointed out that Cockney's certification to use the stun gun had expired 13 months prior to the incident. Commission chair Paul Kennedy also slammed the RCMP's handling of the girl's mother's complaint and of its two internal investigations into the matter.

"We are happy with the report, but we also realize that they are only recommendations made by the CPC chair," the mother's spouse wrote in an e-mail to News/North.

"Obviously, a mistake was made and it seems like with or without this report that (neither) the RCMP or the Department of Justice wants to admit any wrongdoing, but if it were an average citizen who broke the law they would be all over them to take responsibility for their actions. I wonder if they ever thought 'Wow, I could have killed that child.'

"They have no idea how much our family has suffered and gone through, but it was all worth it.

"There were several times we felt like giving up, but then we realized that we have come a long way and if we can help this from happening to another family then it is worth it.

"We are not thrilled that the punishment would be proper note taking. That's not a form of punishment - that is a joke. Our family is forever scarred by this unnecessary event that happened back in March 2007," the e-mail statement said.

Inuvik mayor Denny Rodgers said he believes the RCMP will implement the recommendations set out in the report, since the police force has publicly accepted the report's findings.

"Nobody is infallible and certainly we appreciate the work the RCMP do in this community and in all communities. It's not an easy job but the system is set up so that if there are isolated instances that need to be dealt with, that's why the system is what it is and it seems to be doing its job," Rodgers said.

Derek Lindsay was mayor when the incident happened almost three years ago. He remembers town residents talking about it when it happened, but he said he hasn't heard too much since the commission put out its report.

"Personally, my father was a police officer so I have kind of a lop-sided opinion on the whole thing," he said.

"It takes a very thick skin to be a police officer. No one ever seems to look at the side of the police officer. Now we have this new, soft society who are just 'hug me, kiss me, feel me.' Those things don't work," he added.

"I don't condone the use of force, but if it's the last resort, it's the last resort."

Neither Justice Minister Jackson Lafferty nor Inuvik Twin Lakes MLA Robert McLeod returned calls for comment.