WESTERN BUREAU – Newton Amos, the police superintendent in charge of St James, yesterday denied charges that the parish’s lawmen have been illegally holding persons beyond the 48 hours allowed.

Amos told the annual general meeting of the St James Lay Magistrates’ Association that detainees were held past the allotted time only with the requisite approval from a resident magistrate or a justice of the peace.

“It is very unfair for this matter to be bandied about in the public domain without (us being) given a chance… for dialogue. That was not afforded us. I am saying that while people out there making false representation, the records will show that the men were remanded in custody by the justice of the peace and by the judge. So, how could it be (that) we were going against their will when they were actually remanded in custody by the proper authority,” he told the Observer after the meeting.

“The facts are being misrepresented. And that is now one of the reason the (Cornwall) Bar Association wants to have a meeting with us. Why didn’t they call for that meeting before they went on the street and make a mockery of the system and all they are quoting is this one man, Dwayne Sawyers? I don’t hear any other name. It is an unfortunate situation. We want to get that behind us and move on,” the superintendent added.

Sawyers, who is in his 20s, was released from police custody on February 24 after an identification parade that should have been held at the Freeport Police Station fell through when the witnesses failed to turn up.

His release followed three weeks in detention, during which the police failed to bring charges against him. His lawyer, Dalton Reid, appealed to the court and he was released on February 24 after RM Paulette Williams, concerned that he was being held for a prolonged period of time without being charged, issued instructions that he ought to be allowed to leave the lock-up.

In his address to the parish’s lay magistrates yesterday, Amos said the police would continue to do their duty to the people of the parish, and would not detain persons for any “undue period of time”. But he took issue with Sawyer’s attorney bringing the matter to media attention without first speaking with him.

“He has never spoken to me. He has never written to me. At no time did he complain to me about this man. I open it to you, if I was available for him, why is it that he has not spoken to me but rather he find every media house to say these things?” the superintendent asked.

But the attorney contended that he had contacted DSP Derrick Knight as he was the investigating officer, and then when faced with an obstacle in helping his client, he appealed to the court, as he is supposed to do in his capacity as an attorney.

” I don’t see the need to speak to (Amos), I complained to the court. I am a lawyer. I did what I was trained to do,” Reid added.

At the same time he said his client was still considering legal action against the police for false imprisonment.

“I have spoken to him and he wants nothing to do with the police. But he’s thinking it over, giving it a little thought,” the attorney said.