Revelations in the news today that the Home Office is investigating the employment of a BNP member at in an immigration removal centre echoes the past ; the BNP candidate in Bedford's council elections in 2003 was a former custody officer at Yarl's Wood Immigration removal centre.

Currently also being investigated by the Home Office are cases contained in our report, “Outsourcing Abuse : the use and misuse of state-sanctioned force during the detention and removal of asylum seekers”, which analyses nearly 300 incidents of alleged assault, racism and abuse. We found that an alarming and unacceptable number of injuries have been sustained by those subject to forced removals.  Our report provides evidence of widespread and seemingly systemic abuse of one of the most vulnerable communities of people in our society, who have fled their own countries seeking safety and refuge. Allegations made by Medical Justice of assaults were initially dismissed by the Home Office as “unsubstantiated” but later the Home Secretary stated an independent investigation would be carried out and the outcome is awaited.

“Fucking black slave you must go to your country”
A Cameroonian detainee explained to Medical Justice that he was told by an immigration guard ; “Fucking black slave you must go to your country”.  One woman was called a “filthy black African pig” and a guard said to her “If I had a gun I’d blow your brains out”.  Another woman was told “You are an animal”.  A Ugandan woman claims guards described her and her children as “black monkeys”.

Evidence of complaints of racism being “mishandled”
In its latest report, the Home Office’s own Complaints Audit Committee (CAC) reported : “Senior officials have joined us in voicing concern that serious complaints such as allegations of assault aggravated by racism have been handled as service delivery complaints and as a consequence have not been properly managed”.  The CAC said there are “indications of rising discontent and continuing failures” and warn of “endemic and enlarging problems” in the complaints process.

The CAC reported that in a four month period last year, there were 177 complaints of “misconduct”.  Of the “serious misconduct” cases, 79% of complainants were not interviewed, 76% of investigations were not “equitable and thorough”, and 65% of responses were not “equitable and defensible”. Only 12% of responses to detainees were made in time (8 weeks) and in 27% of cases, took over 1 year.

Most complaints were put through an “Informal Resolution” process whereby no complainants were interviewed, in no cases were guidance and procedures followed properly, and action plans were devised and followed in less than 1% of cases. Investigation consisted only of a “superficial examination“. The CAC noted that 17% were not suitable for the “Informal Resolution” process as they involved allegations of serious misconduct such as racism.

The CAC noted : “We found the handling of complaints of racism flawed by miscategorisation, under-reporting, problems with confidential access and unclear audit trails.”  They also found evidence of complaints of racism being “mishandled”, that “allegations of bullying and racist abuse by officers were common” and that there were “complaints of threatened violence which had not been investigated”.

After the BBC’s “Detention Undercover” documentary in 2005, the Prison Ombudsman’s inquiry into the allegations of racism and mistreatment of detainees at Oakington immigration removal centre said what was revealed was a “sub-culture of abusive comment, casual racism, and contempt for decent values.” The investigation resulted in disciplinary action against staff.

After a Daily Mirror journalist, Nick Sommerlad, worked undercover at Yarl’s Wood in 2004 and alleged widespread racism, abuse and violence there, the Prison Ombudsman said in his subsequent inquiry that : “I conclude that most of the things Mr Sommerlad said happened did happen”. The investigation resulted in disciplinary action against staff.  

A spokesperson from Medical Justice said : “Immigration detainees feel dehumanised by what seems to be a canteen culture of racism which exists amongst certain immigration guards. Lack of accountability, as highlighted by the dismal failings of the complaints process, is a major contributor to the abuse suffered by immigration detainees and it is made worse by the Home Office sub-contracting the operating of detention centres and the escorting of detainees to airports to private companies. But we feel the underlying problems are the high refusal rate of asylum claims and the government’s policy of detaining men, women and children, who are not accused of any crime – indefinitely. A number of people who were abused in detention now have leave to remain in the UK, which begs the question why they were ever detained in the first place.  We feel abuse in immigration detention centres is so widespread that they should all be closed down.”

Case-studies
Mr. AM claimed that one of the immigration guards getting him on a deportation flight held his hand and bent his fingers back until there was the sound of a crack. When the guards realised they had broken one of his fingers they forced him to the ground, handcuffed his hands behind his back and beat him. While on the ground, an escort spat at him and repeatedly called him a monkey.

Ugandan, Apollo Okello, claims he was taken off a plane, put in the back of van where he was assaulted by being punched to his face and ribs, and told “Black monkeys don’t want to go back to their country”.

Zimbabwean, Harris Nyatsanza, described his experience at Harmondsworth immigration removal centre where he was on hungerstrike ; “The Officers, especially the white ones - both male and female - spoke to you like you were a piece of dirt. They were always right. If you argued you were sent into isolation. When I was suspected of leading the mass Hunger Strike, I was placed into isolation were I was shouted at, laughed at and jeered at all night, keys banging on my metal door. As I grew weak and could not walk, a female officer threatened to bang me on the walls whilst she was pushing me in my wheel chair. The thing with racism, unless one is caught red-handed, people can always find excuses for that behaviour. But as a black young man, I know racist behaviour.”
 
Mr. Nyatsanza, Mr. Okello, a volunteer doctor and lawyer with Medical Justice are all available for interview.

Download the report, “Outsourcing Abuse : The use and misuse of state-sanctioned force during the detention and removal of asylum seekers” ; http://www.medicaljustice.org.uk/content/view/413/68/

Independent 14/01/09 “BNP links to immigration service staff”

Independent 14/01/09 “Lack of accountability is at heart of this mistreatment”;

Contact : Emma Ginn on 07904 778365 / This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it