Several men in custody at the Spanish Town lock-up yesterday threw urine and filth at police personnel in an attempt to prevent being transferred to another facility.

The incident is said to have begun about 8 a.m. when it was announced that 10 of those in custody would be transferred to the Horizon Remand Centre on Spanish Town Road, Kingston.

As the news of the pending removal started to circulate, several of the men were said to have decided that they would not budge. ''The man dem take away the keys and locked themselves inside their cells and refused to move. As a result we called for more officers to assist in the transfer exercise. Some prisoners continued to behave violently, throwing faeces at the police,'' a corporal told THE STAR.

He said that one of his colleagues was doused from head-to-toe with human waste and had to run from the cell, leaving behind his holster.

In an attempt to prevent the situation from escalating, one of the prisoners was said to have been beaten by the police and brought to the nearby Spanish Town Hospital to seek medical attention.

''Prisoners must understand that the police are the ones that run the cells. So when time comes for them to be transferred they must obey,'' a police constable remarked.

Another of his colleagues told THE STAR that the men did not want to leave as they are more comfortable there because they can get more visits, unlike going to Horizon where they would be under constant pressure.

Up to late yesterday evening, the cell area was being cleaned and the prisoners were still in their cells. The attorneys who came to the station to have dialogue with their clients could not do so due to the problems.