NORWEGIAN PARLIAMENTARY OMBUDSMAN
National Preventive Mechanism against Torture and Ill-Treatment
ANNUAL REPORT 2015
46
the health service’s assessments. The health service also
included two nurses. They were employed by the police,
however. This arrangement also gave rise to doubt about
the health service’s professional independence.
Health interviews with newly arrived detainees were
not conducted as a matter of routine, despite clear
recommendations from the CPT. Detainees are often
particularly at risk of poor somatic and mental health.
The detainees also did not have access to mental health
care over and above emergency assistance, among other
things because of a lack of rights. In addition, the health
department lacked procedures for systematic follow-up
of persons who are detained for a longer period of time.
Other factors that were noted include shortcomings in
administrative decisions on the use of solitary confinement and security cells, few organised activities, unclear
legal authority for locking detainees in their rooms, lack
of information on arrival, whether the food that is served
is sufficiently nutritious, routine visit control and lack of
access to mobile phones.
After the visit
The report from the visit was published in December
2015, and the NPIS is to inform the Parliamentary
Ombudsman about its follow-up of the report’s recommendations by 1 April 2016.
Visit covering multiple places of detention
Places of detention at Gardermoen
22 April 2015
Unannounced visit
The purpose of the visit was to map all the places of
detention at Gardermoen. The NPM visited the National
Police Immigration Service’s (NPIS) deportation centre,
Customs and Excise’s detention premises, the police
waiting cells at the airport and Gardermoen police
custody facility.
Findings
The NPM first visited the temporary premises of
NPIS’s deportation centre inside the airport area. The
deportation centre had no ordinary cells. The premises
were furnished so that they resembled an ordinary
airport waiting area, intended for short stays before
deportation. The waiting area was put to use shortly
after the NPM’s visit. Even though the written procedures
for the waiting area appeared to be satisfactory, it was
pointed out that the verbally described procedure for
avoiding body searches with removal of clothing should
be set out in local instructions.
Following the visit, the NPM obtained an overview for
April 2015 of the use of coercive measures both in
connection with stays at the deportation centre and
in connection with persons being escorted out of the
country. No coercive measures were used at the deportation centre during this period. Concerning the use
of coercive measures when people are being escorted
out of the country, the NPIS stated that information
about such use is not stored in a way that enables the
retrieval of statistics. Such information can only be
obtained from the reports that are prepared in each
case of escorted deportation. A review of these reports
showed that coercive measures were used on 15 of
the total of 98 persons escorted out of Norway in April
2015. The NPM noted information that suggested that
two persons were restrained by the use of strips during
a long flight. Even though the use of strips is permitted
under the deportation instructions, this appears to be an
unfortunate practice, including for security reasons. The
NPM pointed out that there was a need for establishing
a solution for better documentation and subsequent
control.
The NPM also made a visit to Romerike Police District’s
facility inside the airport, including three waiting rooms
that are partially at the disposal of the NPIS by agreement
with the police district. These waiting rooms are used in
connection with the preparation of entry rejections and
expulsions, during the registration of asylum applications
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