Anne Owers, the Chief Inspector of Prisons, has published what she calls the poorest report she has issued on an Immigration Removal Centre. Harmondsworth, situated close to Heathrow, houses about 500 people including refused asylum seekers and those going through the Fast Track procedure of the New Asylum Model.
The Inspector found poor relationships between staff and detainees, a majority of whom felt unsafe and 44% of whom said they had been victimised. She called it essentially a management problem, and said that the culture and approach was wholly at odds with its stated purpose.
In response to the publication of a report by the Chief Inspector of Prisons after a visit to Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre, Anna Reisenberger, acting Chief Executive of the Refugee Council said:
"We are shocked to read this damning report about Harmondsworth, particularly as we, along with many other bodies, have been telling the Home Office for some time that it is the worst of the detention centres."
"It is worrying to say the least that 60% of clients feel unsafe in Harmondsworth and frankly horrifying that nearly half feel they are victimised by the staff. The praise given to officers in the education department shows that clients give credit where it’s due – so there’s an urgent need to ensure that other staff in the centre learn from their colleagues and treat people better than they do at present. Asylum seekers are not criminals; they are people who are vulnerable and scared. Their treatment should reflect that."
"Anne Owers states that there is too much emphasis on security, control and punishment in Harmondsworth. This points to a wider problem with detaining asylum seekers. To all intents and purposes, these detention centres are prisons. Whatever is done to improve these places doesn’t alter that fact. We should question whether there is any need to lock up people who’ve committed no crime and who cause no harm to the wider community."
Ends.
