Conditions report
INSPECTION REVEALS DETAINEES ARE HELD FOR UP TO FOUR YEARS IN MICE-INFESTED IMMIGRATION CENTRE
FOREIGN nationals are being detained in “prison-like” miceinfested conditions near Heathrow Airport for as long as four years, a watchdog report reveals.
Inspectors said detainees in Harmondsworth IRC, Britain’s largest immigration removal centre, are being held at the facility for ‘unacceptably lengthy periods’ – most of whom had previously been subject to torture before arriving in Britain.
They found planned removals failed to materialise due to late legal challenges or a lack of travel documents, while some detentions were prolonged by Home Office failings.
The report findings, detailed by HM Inspectorate of Prisons, said: “Some detainees had been held in detention for too long, with 23 held for more than a year at the start of the inspection; one had been held for more than four-and-a-half years.
“Removals failed for a variety of reasons, including late legal challenges, a lack of travel documents and disruptive behaviour on removal. Some detentions were prolonged by failings of the Home Office and its contractors. For example, the Home Office took over a year to decide an asylum claim.”
Harmondsworth IRC is the largest detention site of its kind in Europe, holding up to 676 male detainees and at the time of the inspection in October, had a population of 552.
IRCs are used to house foreign nationals including overseas offenders and asylum seekers either while their cases are decided or prior to their removal from the UK.
Instances where individuals have been held for several months or years have prompted calls for a time limit on detention.
Publishing the report on Harmondsworth, chief inspector of prisons Peter Clarke said: “The continuing lack of a time limit on detention meant that some men had been held for excessively long periods.”
The inspectorate found that physical conditions at the centre had improved but many areas were dirty, bedbugs were “endemic” and there were infestations of mice in some places.
And in nine out of 10 cases examined, the Home Office accepted evidence that detainees had been tortured prior to coming to Britain but maintained detention regardless. Detainees were also routinely handcuffed when attending outside appointments without ‘evidence of risk.’
Campaigners have previously demonstrated for a time limit on how long detainees stay at Harmondsworth IRC
Mr Clarke concluded that the centre had failed to progress sufficiently.
He said: “For the third consecutive inspection, we found considerable failings in the areas of safety and respect. Detainees, many identified as vulnerable, were not being adequately safeguarded. Some were held for unacceptably long periods.
“Mental health needs were often not met. Detainees were subject to some disproportionate security restrictions and living conditions were below decent standards.”
A Home Office spokeswoman said: “Detention and removal of those with no lawful basis to stay in the UK are essential parts of effective immigration controls.
“When people are detained, it is for the minimum time possible and detention is reviewed on a regular basis. The detainee’s welfare remains of the utmost importance.
We are pleased that the inspector noted a number of positive areas of work such as welfare services, faith provision, generally adequate health care provision and positive engagement with third sector groups who support detainees.
“However, elements of this report make for difficult reading and we are committed to a programme of transformation.”
A company spokeswoman for Mitie Care and Custody, which runs the centre, said: “The inspectors’ report confirms progress is being made, although there are still some things we need to do better. We are encouraged that, among the key outcomes, the report identified low levels of violence and self-harm and that restraint was used proportionately.
“However, we are concerned that, despite the low risk to detainees, many said they did not feel safe. We are working to understand the extent to which their anxiety relates to their potential removal from the country and how we can best provide reassurance about their time in our care.”
In relation to reports of bedbugs, it is understood furniture in affected areas has been replaced. Units were deep cleaned and refurbished after the inspection.