Brook House: 'Dramatic increase' in force against detainees

Staff at an immigration removal centre used force against detainees more than 300 times last year, twice as much as they did the previous year.

The Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) said 2017 was a "tough year" for Brook House, which is near Gatwick airport.

It cited a "spike" in violence, both detainee-on-detainee and detainee-on-staff, an attempted escape, and protests against removals.

G4S, which runs the centre, said safety for detainees was a priority.

Last September, the BBC's Panorama programme broadcast undercover footage at Brook House which appeared to show workers bullying and abusing men who were held there.

Six employees were subsequently dismissed, police began a criminal investigation and an independent inquiry was set up by G4S.

The IMB said it was "horrified at the completely unacceptable behaviour of the small group of staff shown in the footage".

But it said G4S managers "moved fast to keep the centre steady, detainees calm and staff encouraged at what was a hugely difficult moment".

It noted the incident had an impact on staff morale, leading to departures which had exacerbated existing staff shortages and caused "a material impact" on the running of the centre.

The purpose-built establishment opened in 2009 and has a capacity to hold up to 508 adult males.

Over the course of 2017 it housed men of 60 different nationalities, held under immigration laws.

The IMB's annual report showed there was "a dramatic increase" in the use of force at the centre last year.

Staff controlled or restrained detainees by force on 334 occasions, compared to 161 the previous year.

The IMB said the rise in the use of force may have been as a response to an increase in the number of "difficult and more volatile" detainees, but pointed out that new procedures had been introduced for dealing with disruptive behaviour.

G4S, which is still waiting to find out if its contract to operate Brook House will be renewed, said its "priority" was to provide a "safe and secure" environment for the men held at the centre.

The firm's interim director, Lee Hanford, said it was "well under way" to meeting its target of 226 permanent officers, and would work closely with the Home Office to incorporate recommendations made by the IMB.