The treatment of detainees being removed from the UK was reasonably safe, decent and professional, but there were still some avoidable weaknesses, said Nick Hardwick, Chief Inspector of Prisons. Today he published two reports of inspections of escort and removals of detainees to Nigeria, Ghana and Pakistan.

Operation Majestic is a regular removal flight to Nigeria, often including an additional leg to Accra, Ghana. Inspectors previously inspected this flight in April 2011 and November 2013. In November 2013, inspectors noted a few improvements and said that escorting staff were, on the whole, calm and confident, but some ways of working had become entrenched. These included keeping handcuffs on for much longer than necessary, holding detainees by the arm in secure areas, denying privacy to detainees using the toilet and withholding facilities such as blankets and hot drinks during an overnight flight without regard to evidence of risk in the individual case. This more recent inspection repeats many of the same points.

Inspectors were pleased to find that:

• experienced escort staff did their core job satisfactorily and the detainees were on the whole positive about the care that custody officers and health care staff provided;
• officers no longer routinely held detainees’ arms within secure detention centres; and
• staff now received use of force training.

However, inspectors were concerned to find that:

• waist restraints belts had replaced handcuffs, and there was a risk that they were being overused; and
• the length of the journey was avoidably extended at both ends of the process.

Nick Hardwick said:

“The treatment of detainees on these removal operations was reasonably safe and respectful, but it was a concern that a number of issues, which these reports have consistently pointed out, have not been addressed in two years. We are concerned that standards have reached a plateau, and that there appears to be little aspiration to improve further.”

 

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Operation Monroe is a regular removal flight to Pakistan which was previously inspected in December 2013, when inspectors noted some positive features which had been sustained during this inspection. The operation was generally carried out calmly and safely, most staff interacted well with detainees and detainees were dealt with swiftly and courteously when they arrived in Islamabad. Detainees’ treatment and conditions had also improved since the previous inspection.

Inspectors were pleased to find that:

• all staff had received training on the use of force within confined spaces;
• none of the staff displayed an inappropriate attitude either when they spoke to detainees or in the way they behaved; and
• detainees were kept informed about the process and in one IRC, they received a particularly good help to prepare for removal.

However, inspectors were concerned to find that:

• in 2013, some staff fell asleep almost as soon as they sat down in the coach, while in 2015, no-one slept on the coach but after a couple of hours in the aircraft, many escorts were asleep beside their charges;
• staff still depended entirely on other detainees to interpret for those without good English; and
• restraints, whenever applied, were still only ever removed after the take-off period.

Nick Hardwick said:

“During this removal operation, detainees were removed in a reasonably decent and efficient manner by staff who did a professional job. But that picture was still marred by too many avoidable weaknesses.”

 

Notes to Editors:

1. A copy of the escort and removals to Nigeria and Ghana report can be found here.
2. A copy of the escort and removals to Pakistan report can be found here.
3. HM Inspectorate of Prisons is an independent inspectorate, inspecting places of detention to report on conditions and treatment, and promote positive outcomes for those detained and the public.
4. This inspection of escort and removals to Nigeria and Ghana was carried out on 28-29 July 2015. The aircraft was chartered by the Home Office and Tascor was the escort contractor.
5. Inspectors accompanied a charter flight removal of 55 detainees. The aircraft went first to Lagos, Nigeria. Forty-four detainees travelled to Lagos and 11 to Ghana, one of whom was to be escorted onwards to Gabon. The operation was inspected from the point at which detainees were collected from Immigration Removal Centres – Brook House, Colnbrook, Harmondsworth, Tinsley House and Yarl’s Wood. The records of three previous flights to West Africa in April, May and June 2015 were also examined.
6. The inspection of escort and removals to Pakistan was carried out from 30 June-1 July 2015. The aircraft was chartered by the Home Office and Tascor was the escort contractor.
7. Inspectors accompanied a charter flight removal of 33 detainees. The aircraft went to Islamabad. The operation was inspected from the point at which detainees were collected from the IRCs – Colnbrook, Brook House, Harmondsworth and Tinsley House – to arrival in Islamabad.
8. Please contact Jane Parsons in HMI Prisons Press Office on 020 3681 2775 or 07880 787452 if you would like more information.