The Australian Federal Police used capsicum spray and bean-bag bullets to quell a disturbance on Christmas Island last night when minor damage was caused to the detention centre.

Three detainees staged a protest on the roof of the centre. One person came down this afternoon while the remaining two were still in negotiations with Immigration Department officials.

A source on Christmas Island has told ABC News Online the incident began when officers from security firm Serco attempted to detain a man and transfer him to the high-security "red" block.

The source says other asylum seekers surrounded the man and attempted to block the Serco officers before doors were ripped from their hinges and some kitchen utensils damaged.

An Immigration Department spokesman, however, declined to confirm the cause of the disturbance, saying "we don't go into that level of detail".

The AFP says it responded to a request for assistance from Immigration Department and Serco officers about 11:00pm (local time).

"The disturbance culminated with approximately 100 clients protesting within the perimeter of the detention centre," an AFP spokeswoman said.

She said some of the protesters armed themselves with improvised weapons such as metal poles and broken concrete.

"During negotiations, some of the protesters began throwing projectiles at police and security guards."

She said AFP officers used capsicum spray and one non-lethal bean-bag round to restore order. No tear gas was used.

A worker with Serco suffered minor injuries after an unspecified incident, and a roller door at the centre was also damaged.

The AFP says it did not need to take control of the detention centre which remained the responsibility of the Immigration Department and Serco.

In March, detainees on the island rioted for several nights, setting fire to accommodation and forcing about 200 asylum seekers to be moved.

Staff at the centre also had to be evacuated as Australian Federal Police on the island used tear gas and bean-bag bullets to try to control the hundreds of rioters and quell the unrest.

After those riots, an extra 70 police offers were sent to the island.