Section four Detainees under escort 3 Holding focus groups with PER users (including police custody, court custody, escort and prison reception staff) to test recommendations about changes to the PER and its accompanying documentation. Home Secretary in January 2011 to monitor overseas escorts, the IMBs agreed to assess the feasibility of this new area. The IMBs have monitored six overseas escort flights to date, three of which took place during 2011–12. They included two flights organised by the As a result of its review, HMIP made several British government to Kabul, Afghanistan recommendations on PERs. These included: the and Islamabad, Pakistan and one Frontexpossibility of investigating a move from a paper- operated flight to Lahore, Pakistan.22 Two board members monitored the escort process based PER to an electronic record, to address from the point at which the detainees were practical difficulties with PERs; that PERs should collected from the IRC until disembarkation in be quality assured to improve standards; staff the destination country. across the custodial estate should be trained in their purpose and completion; the quality of While escorting staff were initially suspicious of information included on PERs should improve; their presence, the board members soon found and self-harm warning forms should be completed where there is a significant concern that staff were keen to facilitate monitoring as best they could. On the whole, board members about self-harm. A report of HMIP’s review of were impressed by the care taken to make the PERs was published in October 2012 and the implementation of its recommendations will be detainees feel at ease and to defuse or deescalate potentially volatile situations. However, monitored.21 they were concerned about the long periods Overseas escorts detainees spent waiting during the removal The monitoring of overseas escorts has been process. This included long waits on coaches a new area of work for two members of the when leaving the IRC, as well as waiting at the NPM – IMBs and HMIP. Monitoring overseas airport before embarkation. These long waiting escorts covers detainees throughout their periods had the potential to increase detainees’ removal from the UK, including during the anxiety significantly. removal flight. The need for independent monitoring was evidenced by the tragic death The board members considered it good of an adult male detainee while being deported practice that a chief immigration officer on from the UK to Angola in October 2010. The board each flight held surgeries and met all man died while he was being restrained by detainees who had issues to discuss. On one escort staff on board an aircraft. flight, the board members were also able to take up complaints and concerns on behalf of All immigration removal centres (IRCs) and the detainees, which were followed up on their some short-term holding facilities (STHFs) return to the UK. As a result of concerns raised for immigration detainees are monitored by board members, a formal complaints system by an IMB made up of volunteers from the was introduced for detainees during overseas local community. Following a request by the escorts. 21 HMIP, The Use of Person Escort Records with Detainees at Risk of Self-Harm: A thematic review (October 2012). 22 Frontex is an agency of the European Union that promotes, coordinates and develops European border management. One of its roles is to assist EU Member States coordinate their efforts to return foreign nationals to their country of origin, including through coordinating joint return flights. 31