And, being proactive in this case means rounding up persons who police believe to be in gangs. While proving gang membership in court will be another matter, the cops say they know who they want to take off the street - we asked what will happen to them next since the regular legal process has been suspended for those picked up under the state of emergency:
DCP Chester Williams, AG. Commissioner
"We know who our targets are and those are the persons we are going after. I know for a fact that during our operations this morning we may have picked up some people who would not be gang members and so what we will be doing will be going through our list and will be sifting those persons out and we will be releasing them. But those persons who are a part of what we intend to do, they will be kept in custody."
"The constitution section 18, subsection 10 makes provision where they are entitled to certain due process. In the sense that they can be allowed access to an attorney and an attorney can make application on their behalf before a court in terms of asking the court to look at their detention and it will be a matter for us to be able to justify why we have them detained to the court and that we intend to do."
Reporter
"Sir, but there will be no standard 48 hours and 72 hours?"
DCP Chester Williams, AG. Commissioner
"No. The law simply states that in the first 7 days we must inform them of why they are detained. So in the normal course of the constitution, you have 24 hours. In this case the declaration law says 7 days in the first instance inform them as to why they are detained."
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