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“At Seprod we had a makeshift holding area. Detainees
were placed there. Persons were held in transit to
elsewhere. We knew that we would have to detain persons.
We kept detainees for no more than 2 hours. We started
receiving detainees on the evening of 24 May. We were
overwhelmed by the number of persons who were brought
in… Detainees were sent to Mobile Reserve or the National
Arena.”
10.234.
When questioned by Mrs. DaCosta, SSP Graham asserted that
“some detainees were detained in their own interests. This was made clear to
them when they were detained”. He denied that male persons were “rounded
up in the hope of finding weapons”. He said explicitly -
“It is not true that we detained persons without having good
grounds.”
10.235.
When Mr. Witter, Bishop Blair and Dr. Salmon visited Seprod on
25 May, SSP Graham estimated that there were about 200 detainees there.
(iv)
ACP Leon Rose
10.236.
In the opinion of ACP Rose, Mobile Reserve was capable of holding
“about 150 persons for processing and about 60 for actual detention. The
National Arena could have accommodated 4,000.” ACP Rose had no advance
information as to what number of detainees he should expect at Mobile Reserve
and he confirmed that he “did not see a lot of women there”. Processing
involved interviewing the detainees and relieving them of their mobile
telephones. ACP Rose’s evidence is that –
“if there was no indication that they were wanted for a
previous crime and would have posed no threat, they were
released… In the initial phase of the operation, there were
persons there for 48 hours.”
10.237.
In respect of Maurice Tomlinson, ACP Rose acknowledged his
signature on the Release Form (which he designed) and the date, 27 May 2010.
He said –