A toxic culture allowed staff to physically and verbally abuse migrants at an immigration removal centre in West Sussex, according to a public inquiry that heard evidence of significant mistreatment.
Staff at Brook House immigration detention centre near Gatwick Airport were found to have subjected detainees to degrading treatment, including forcibly moving people while they were naked, and speaking to migrants using racist, homophobic and derogatory language.
Staff often showed little regard for migrants’ welfare, and some appeared desensitised towards the vulnerabilities of detained people. There were occasions where they would use the phrase “if he dies, he dies”.
Staff used derogatory language as a way to “fit in”.
The inquiry was set up to investigate the mistreatment of individuals detained at Brook House between April and August 2017, following a BBC Panorama programme which showed covert footage of mistreatment. At the time, the centre was operated by G4S on behalf of the Home Office.
The inquiry identified 19 incidents that amounted to mistreatment contrary to Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protects individuals from inhumane, degrading treatment or punishment.
These included inappropriate use of force, inflicting unnecessary pain, dangerous restraint techniques including gripping a man’s neck, making inappropriate and humiliating comments to two detainees who attempted suicide, and initially failing to help a detainee after a suicide attempt.
The Brook House Inquiry rejected suggestions by the Home Office and G4S that the events primarily resulted from the behaviour of a small minority of staff.
Inquiry chair Kate Eves said: “What I have heard in the course of this inquiry does not support this. It is a narrative that seeks to distance both organisations from their responsibility for the prevailing culture at the time.”
Instead, the inquiry found that many of the issues stemmed from a “troubling tendency to pay only superficial attention to the rules”.
Healthcare staff did not sufficiently understand their safeguarding responsibilities, particularly in relation to the use of force, and were “too quick to dismiss difficult or challenging behaviour as disobedience rather than an indication of mental ill-health,” said Eves.
Some of the staff who worked at Brook House, which is now operated by Serco, are still employed there.
“It inevitably casts doubt on how far the cultural changes described by Serco can be said to have been embedded. There is more to do,” Eves said.
Staffing issues
She said there was “significant understaffing at Brook House, an issue that both the Home Office and G4S were aware of”.
The senior management team was said to be dysfunctional and not visible to junior staff, who were left to manage complex situations without support. This was compounded by “in-fighting” among the management team, and a gulf between managers and staff on the ground.
Employees at Brook House lacked trust in the whistleblowing process, and when ‘Speak Out’ posters were defaced with graffiti saying “snitches” and “don’t be a rat”, they remained up for months.
The Brook House Inquiry report says: “Several members of staff told the Inquiry that they did not report incidents for fear of being labelled a ‘grass’ or being bullied. Although the extent of whistleblowing was not entirely clear, a large number of staff at Brook House witnessed inappropriate behaviour during the relevant period but did not use Speak Out or any other process to raise concerns about that behaviour.
“Senior management showed a lack of understanding about the willingness of staff to use the processes in place and the reasons why they might not do so. The whistleblowing policy and processes themselves were inadequate, ineffective and were not adequately tailored to Brook House or [immigration removal centres] more generally. Disappointingly, when staff did raise concerns or grievances, there was often an inadequate response.”
The report makes 33 recommendations for the government and companies operating immigration removal centres including:
- rolling out mandatory training covering mental health, race and diversity, resilience, drug awareness, trauma, and the purpose of immigration detention centres
- ensuring that all staff are aware that the technique of handcuffing detained people with their hands behind their back while seated is not permitted, given its association with positional asphyxia
- introducing further guidance and training for healthcare staff on the use of force
- ensuring there are ongoing assessments of staffing levels so that there is an appropriate number of staff for the size and needs of the detained population
- ensuring contractors operating immigration removal centres develop and implement an action plan to ensure a healthy staff culture
- address barriers to making complaints and improving whistleblowing procedures.
A spokesperson for G4S said: “The vast majority of employees at Brook House immigration removal centre were focused on the wellbeing of the detained people and carried out their duties to a high standard, often in exceptionally challenging circumstances.
“We were appalled when, in 2017, a number of former employees acted in a way that was contrary to our values, policies and their training and for this we are sorry. This behaviour was unacceptable and the company took swift action, including dismissing a number of individuals and commissioning an independent review carried out by Verita.
“G4S ceased operating Brook House in 2020 and no longer operates any immigration removal centres.”
The Home Office said: “The abuse that took place at Brook House in 2017 was unacceptable. The government has made significant improvements since then to uphold the welfare and dignity of those detained, including strengthening safeguards, promoting a culture of transparency and improving the oversight of contractors’ performance.”
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