Excessive restraint in immigration detention centres ‘deeply concerning’, report finds

Home Office contractors are over-using restraint in immigration detention centres and failing to tackle the toxic culture behind bars, according to the findings of a new watchdog report described as “deeply concerning”. By Force of Habit: How the Use of Force in Immigration Detention Has Lost Sight of Necessity and Dignity was published by the Independent Monitoring Boards (IMB), which examines conditions in prisons and immigration detention centres. The findings revealed force being applied inconsistently, disproportionately, and without adequate justification, which it said undermined the dignity and welfare of highly vulnerable individuals. It highlighted how routine handcuffing, particularly during hospital transfers, appeared to have become the default rather than the exception. In one case, a frail 70-year-old man was handcuffed despite paperwork noting no evidence of risk. The report describes the practice of only allowing detainees to be taken to hospital if they were handcuffed as “a form of coercion”. The report comes at a time when the government has pledged to expand immigration detention so it can deport more people. The IMB national chair, Elisabeth Davies, said: “It’s about operational force being used for operational convenience.” She added that she has written to the Home Office “numerous times” raising concerns about the high levels of handcuffing and the lack of clear justification provided. The report provided examples of restraint IMB is concerned about, including a man who was on constant suicide watch who was screaming and resisting removal. He took off his trousers and was carried naked from the waist down to a plane. Staff took turns to push his head against his seat. The report found the impact on his dignity to be “profound”. It also reprinted a note on a detention centre staff whiteboard saying: “Thought of the Day: Handle Stressful situations like a dog. If you can’t eat it or hump it, piss on it or walk away.” Davies said the sign was not hidden in any way. She has called for changes in staff culture and said the sign was an example of staff culture: “I think that offers little reassurance.” Another example of a concerning staff culture highlighted by the report involved an incident where a personal protection trainer told officers: “If someone’s coming at me, I’m going to keep myself safe. I don’t worry about what’s proportionate, I won’t worry about Serco or my job, my priority is to look after myself.” A spokesperson for the government contractor Serco, one of the private contractors used by the Home Office to manage detention centres, said: “This report is full of unevidenced assertions and unsubstantiated comments which do not reflect our professional training or how we treat people in our care. Our officers only use appropriate and proportionate force as a last resort, and the use of force is closely monitored.” Missed opportunities for de-escalation are also identified in the report, including a case where a man was restrained after failing to obey an instruction to stand up. The report finds no evidence of a trauma-informed approach, despite many detained people having experienced trauma, including torture and trafficking, with nothing to indicate that this was being considered when planning or executing force interventions. Significant gaps were identified in the recording of force with incomplete documentation, inaccurate records, and ineffective review processes identified, raising concerns about governance and accountability. Davies added: “The findings of this report are deeply concerning. For the use of force to be lawful, it must be necessary, reasonable, proportionate and justifiable, but what we are seeing is a system where restraint has become routine, oversight is weak, and the dignity of detained individuals is too often disregarded. “We need meaningful cultural change and robust accountability to protect the rights of highly vulnerable people in detention. As national chair, I call on the Home Office to act urgently to strengthen oversight, embed trauma-informed practices, and ensure that force is only used when absolutely necessary.” A spokesperson for Medical Justice, which supports the health of people in immigration detention, said: “The findings of this report are distressing. The Home Office continues to preside over the dangerous use of force and restraints demonstrating an inexcusable disregard for the safety of vulnerable people in its care.” A Home Office spokesperson said: “Last week, the home secretary announced the most sweeping reforms to tackle illegal migration in modern times, which will make it easier to remove and deport migrants. As part of this, we are reforming human rights laws and replacing the broken appeals system. “We will carefully consider the findings in the report. The Home Office reviews all incidents of use of force to ensure that techniques are used proportionately.”