Section two Focus on detention issues
NPM members have noted cases where
immigration detainees held under IS91
powers have been isolated for three to
four days awaiting transfer to an IRC. Police
detainees, if arrested over weekends, might
be detained for longer than normal periods
while waiting for a court appearance.
Case study: 45 hours isolation during
pre‑trial detention
A 19-year-old man was arrested at
11.58am on Tuesday and charged the
following morning. He was ready for court
at 12.45pm on Wednesday, and papers
were faxed to the court at 13.23pm. He
was eventually taken to court at 10.10am
on Thursday, after 45 hours in custody.
During this 45-hour period he had a
45-minute police interview, a 20-minute
interview with his solicitor and had been
brought out to the custody desk to be
charged. Apart from this he had spent the
entire time in his cell, with no exercise or
shower (although the latter was offered).
There was an old magazine in his cell
which he had been given to pass the time.
The detainee would have been visited
every 60 minutes (a look through the
hatch and maybe a few words).
Case study: 28 hours isolation under
immigration powers
This timeline illustrates the time that one
IS91 detainee spent in police custody.
09.12: arrested
10.10: authorised and rights and
entitlements explained to detainee
in Arabic via telephone interpreting
service
10.18: health care requested
10.50: detainee waited at the ‘bridge’ to
see health care, rather than being
placed in cell
10.57: detainee given food and drink
11.49: detainee taken to medical room for
approximately 15 minutes before
returning to cell
12.32: removed from cell to speak
to solicitor on telephone (with
interpreter) in the consultation room
12.56: following advice from solicitor
claimed political asylum
14.00: detainee provided with meal in his
cell
17.12: IS91 served at booking-in desk via
telephone interpreting service
22.44: detainee allowed of out his cell to
wash his hands and face
05:30: woken up and given hot drink,
halal food and biscuits, a copy of
the Qur’an and a prayer mat
08.32: given a hot drink but refused food
14.00 (approx): transferred to IRC
Total time: circa 28 hours.
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