National Preventive Mechanism Eleventh Annual Report 2019–20
external visits at Harmondsworth. After
concerns were raised with Immigration
Enforcement and with the then Immigration
Minister, the rate for December 2018 fell to
59%. This level was not maintained across
all sites during 2019: at Harmondsworth the
rate for the six months to December 2019
was 75%, while at Brook House the rate
over 2019 was 66%.175
There was some refurbishment in short-term
holding facilities (STHFs) at ports and airports
but at Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 STHF,
there were still no showers in the holding
room. The problems with legionella bacteria,
causing the showers in the other holding
rooms to be out of use for months at a
time, persisted during 2019. There were also
no showers in the holding rooms at either
Glasgow or Edinburgh airports. The lack
of privacy for the toilets in Festival Court
reporting centre continued to be a matter
of concern.176
In addition to IRCs and STHFs, HMI Prisons
inspected two detainee removal flights. During
these overseas escorts, inspectors continued
to identify a disproportionate approach to risk
and excessive use of restraints.177
The IMB Charter Flight Monitoring Team
(CFMT) considered the use of restraint
necessary, reasonable and proportionate
in many, but not all, cases. According to its
observations, restraint has, on occasion, been
used in response to a simple statement of
reluctance to leave, not accompanied by
verbal threats or physical resistance on the
part of the detainee. Furthermore, the CFMT
raised concerns that people removed under
the provisions of the Dublin Convention,
who were being removed to the European
country where their asylum claims were
to be determined, were subject to greater
levels of restraint than other returnees.
One in 10 detainees on the flight to West
Africa in September were restrained; five in
eight detainees on the flights to Germany
and Kosovo in November were restrained.
While monitoring a flight to Germany in July
2019, the IMB CFMT witnessed an extremely
distressing incident. Two men who had selfharmed shortly before being handed over to
escorts were presented without having had
their injuries medically treated, and, in one
case, semi-naked. IMB monitors considered
that the treatment of these two men was
degrading and inhumane.178
175 IMB, October 2020, Immigration Detention Estate: Annual Report 2019, https://s3-eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/imb-prodstorage-1ocod6bqky0vo/uploads/2020/10/IDE-National-Annual-Report-for-publication.pdf [accessed 10/11/2020]
176 IMB, October 2020, Immigration Detention Estate: Annual Report 2019, https://s3-eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/imb-prodstorage-1ocod6bqky0vo/uploads/2020/10/IDE-National-Annual-Report-for-publication.pdf [accessed 10/11/2020]
177 HMI Prisons, October 2020, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons 2019-20 Annual Report, https://www.
justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprisons/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2020/10/HMI-Prisons_Annual-Report-and-Accounts2019-20-WEB.pdf [accessed 30/10/2020]
178 IMB, October 2020, Immigration Detention Estate: Annual Report 2019, https://s3-eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/imb-prodstorage-1ocod6bqky0vo/uploads/2020/10/IDE-National-Annual-Report-for-publication.pdf [accessed 10/11/2020]
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