Villawood riot ringleaders captured on camera

CLOSED-CIRCUIT TV footage of the riot that occurred inside Villawood detention centre is expected to identify ringleaders.

Villawood protester

CLOSED-CIRCUIT TV footage of the riot that occurred inside Villawood detention centre is expected to identify the ringleaders of the disturbance.

Federal police yesterday interviewed 22 detainees from the Villawood detention centre in relation to Wednesday night's riot, which left nine rooms destroyed and a damage bill of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Those being questioned had been transferred from Villawood to nearby Silverwater jail at the insistence of the Department of Immigration.

A spokeswoman for the Australian Federal Police last night said no charges had been laid over the riot, during which it is alleged detainees used cigarette lighters to set fire to furniture and various room fittings, and hurled roof tiles at police and firefighters.

"The AFP will continue to assess possible commonwealth offences relating to this incident," the AFP spokeswoman said.

The Weekend Australian understands that authorities are still studying the CCTV footage from within the Villawood facility, and are confident the vision will lead to charges being laid.

A senior immigration official said media reports that claimed there were no CCTV cameras inside the detention centre were incorrect.

"You bet there's cameras in there. And you can bet we'll be checking every last second of footage," the official said.

A spokeswoman for the Immigration Department refused to confirm reports that some of the 22 detainees who were involved in the Villawood incident had also been linked to the violent protests inside the Christmas Island detention centre last month.

Up to 300 asylum-seekers were involved in a week of brutal riots at the Christmas Island detention centre last month, torching buildings and throwing rocks. About 200 AFP officers were called in to restore order.

The 22 detainees removed from Villawood spent last night in Silverwater jail. It is unclear how long they will be housed in prison.

Social Justice Network member Jamal Daoud said yesterday detainees had told him that federal police had been heavy-handed when removing them from Villawood on Thursday night.

According to Mr Daoud, the police had entered the facility in full riot gear, searched rooms, removed some detainees - mainly Kurds and Afghans - and taken them away in a bus.

He described the actions as insensitive and said they added tension to an already intense situation. "The detainees are demanding to know the destination their fellow detainees were taken to and on which basis they were identified," he said.

Last night, a spokeswoman for Serco, the company that manages the Villawood facility, denied police had been heavy-handed. "We completely reject these allegations," she said. "These irresponsible comments are incredibly distressing for our employees who pride themselves on the respectful manner in which they go about their jobs."

At the time of the riot on Wednesday night, there were 392 detainees housed at the Villawood complex.

Nine rooms inside the centre were badly damaged during the incident - among them the kitchen, the computer room and the medical centre. It is understood a new kitchen was installed within 24 hours of the incident.