Read the report: Sweden and Romania escort and removals

HM Inspectorate of Prisons has published a report on its second inspection of an escorted overseas removal flight for immigration detainees during the COVID-19 period. A flight from Stansted in the UK on 13 October removed 13 people to Sweden and Romania.

Ten Romanian detainees – all ex-prisoners – were removed to Bucharest. In addition, three detainees – from Eritrea, Afghanistan and Kuwait – were removed to Stockholm under the Dublin Convention, a European Union (EU) law that determines which EU member state is responsible for considering an asylum claim. The detainees ranged in age from 19 to 58. There was one female detainee, aged 22.

A total of 87 staff were involved in the operation, gathering detainees from immigration removal centres (IRCs), and 66 went on the flight, accompanied by three health care staff.

Charlie Taylor, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, said: “As we have seen before, a large number of staff accompanied a relatively small number of detainees, and staff worked in some confined spaces. This, and the need to exercise physical control in some cases, sometimes made social distancing impossible. However, adherence to health and safety procedures was better than in our previous inspection.”

Inspectors found that almost all the Romanian detainees were content to fly and this contributed to a relatively straightforward and smooth operation. Better coordination of the operation, however, could have reduced the long time that detainees from Brook House IRC had to wait on vehicles at Stansted.

In Brook House, there were concerns about safeguards for detainees booked on the flight. In some cases, important assessments of vulnerability were not ready by the time of the flight, and a few detainees complained of difficulties in accessing legal representation.

Mr Taylor said: “We saw detainees generally treated with courtesy, but there were times when individuals were still identified by a number only in their presence. Interpreters were present throughout the operation, for the languages spoken by most detainees, and this greatly facilitated fair and effective management and support of detainees. However, interpreters were not always used when needed.”

Managers were expecting some resistance and a few of the detainees scheduled to be on the flight at times became very distressed, but these incidents were generally handled well. Restraints were applied only where necessary and there was good use of de-escalation techniques. Inspectors assessed this as notable positive practice.

Overall, Mr Taylor said:

“We found some improvements during this inspection and we hope that they are sustained and built upon during future flights.”

– Ends –

Notes to Editors

1. Read the report: Sweden and Romania escort and removals. This report was published on 24 November 2020.

2. 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.

3. The UK is party to the Dublin Convention, a European Union law that determines which EU member state is responsible for considering an asylum claim and allows member states to transfer an asylum seeker to the responsible state. The Home Office Third Country Unit (TCU) manages such removals to and from the UK.

4. The inspected flight took place on 13 October, from Stansted in the UK to Stockholm and Bucharest. 13 detainees were escorted. The escort contractor was Mitie Care and Custody. HMI Prisons published (on 2 October) a report on an escorted flight to Germany and France.

5. Please contact John Steele at HM Inspectorate of Prisons on 07880 787452, or at john.steele@justice.gov.uk, if you would like more information.