Dallas Court Reporting Centre, Salford criticised in recent report
NCADC | 26.03.2005 15:58
Dallas Court has been singled out for particular criticism in a recent report into conditions in short-term holding centres.
It is particularly disturbing that even after the YarlsWood fire, there are no approved fire or health and safety procedures in these "places of disappearance".
It is particularly disturbing that even after the YarlsWood fire, there are no approved fire or health and safety procedures in these "places of disappearance".
Points of Disappearance! - *'Short term holding centres'
Anne Ower's Chief Inspector of Prisons has published to day her findings of an inspection of four short-term holding centres. Global Solutions Limited (GSL) manages all four centres and all four are subject to criticism by the inspector. Dallas Court in Manchester came in for the most criticism; GSL were found wanting in 16 areas at
the centre.
For asylum seekers, reporting at 'short term holding centres' is normally the first and last link in the chain to detention and eventual deportation to potentially unsafe countries. Each time they go to report they never know if they will be one of the ones arrested, detained and removed - If they will ever see their friends and family here again.
The fear of being separated from their family, detained for an indefinite period and finally deported, is a constant source of stress. The management of the centres is in the hands of GSL. Each asylum seeker detained there brings profit to GSL.
Ms. Owers makes recommendations to the Government, the
Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) and to the centre contractors GSL.
*'Short term holding Centres' are attached to reporting
centres, and hold those who have come to make claims, or report to immigration officers, or who have been picked up in enforcement operations.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The four short-term holding facilities are: Communications House, London, Lunar House, Croydon, Electric House, Croydon, Dallas Court, Manchester
Below selected extracts from the report (attached):
The first and most important finding of our inspections is that there is little external supervision or regular monitoring of these centres;
There were other deficiencies, common to all centres.
There was inadequate, or no, access to telephones, to inform
relatives and friends of the fact of detention.
No centres had child protection policies.
Training in self-harm and suicide prevention was inadequate;
No centre had approved fire or health and safety policies or procedures.
There was too little for detainees to do, or read.
No arrangements for detainees to arrange to recover or dispose of their property: aggravated by their inability to communicate by telephone.
There were particular problems in two centres. Dallas Court, at Manchester, is primarily used as a transit holding area for detainees being transferred between the north and south of the UK. The holding room was unfit for purpose: a cramped and shabby room was used to hold men, women and children.
Moreover, there was insufficient oversight of some detainees in transit. Some arrived in the evening, after custody staff had left. Immigration staff were not informed about transit detainees and on one occasion discovered a young woman, held for six hours, who had recently miscarried and was at risk of suicide. We recommend that detainees must always be placed in the direct care of a responsible staff member.
Lunar House is the main route through which families are detained at Oakington Reception Centre. In spite of this, it had inadequate child protection procedures, and staff were not alert to the need to ensure that agreed safeguards on the detention of children were implemented.
These reports underline the importance of independent inspection of these facilities. Though they hold people for only short periods, they do so at a time of considerable stress, when detainees are suddenly cut off from the rest of the world. In these unannounced inspections, we found that staff were alert to these anxieties. However, these reports point to the reforms in procedure and practice that are needed to ensure they are safe and decent environments.
Above all, they point to the need for regular oversight of these centres, both by senior managers and independent visitors.
Anne Ower's Chief Inspector of Prisons has published to day her findings of an inspection of four short-term holding centres. Global Solutions Limited (GSL) manages all four centres and all four are subject to criticism by the inspector. Dallas Court in Manchester came in for the most criticism; GSL were found wanting in 16 areas at
the centre.
For asylum seekers, reporting at 'short term holding centres' is normally the first and last link in the chain to detention and eventual deportation to potentially unsafe countries. Each time they go to report they never know if they will be one of the ones arrested, detained and removed - If they will ever see their friends and family here again.
The fear of being separated from their family, detained for an indefinite period and finally deported, is a constant source of stress. The management of the centres is in the hands of GSL. Each asylum seeker detained there brings profit to GSL.
Ms. Owers makes recommendations to the Government, the
Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) and to the centre contractors GSL.
*'Short term holding Centres' are attached to reporting
centres, and hold those who have come to make claims, or report to immigration officers, or who have been picked up in enforcement operations.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The four short-term holding facilities are: Communications House, London, Lunar House, Croydon, Electric House, Croydon, Dallas Court, Manchester
Below selected extracts from the report (attached):
The first and most important finding of our inspections is that there is little external supervision or regular monitoring of these centres;
There were other deficiencies, common to all centres.
There was inadequate, or no, access to telephones, to inform
relatives and friends of the fact of detention.
No centres had child protection policies.
Training in self-harm and suicide prevention was inadequate;
No centre had approved fire or health and safety policies or procedures.
There was too little for detainees to do, or read.
No arrangements for detainees to arrange to recover or dispose of their property: aggravated by their inability to communicate by telephone.
There were particular problems in two centres. Dallas Court, at Manchester, is primarily used as a transit holding area for detainees being transferred between the north and south of the UK. The holding room was unfit for purpose: a cramped and shabby room was used to hold men, women and children.
Moreover, there was insufficient oversight of some detainees in transit. Some arrived in the evening, after custody staff had left. Immigration staff were not informed about transit detainees and on one occasion discovered a young woman, held for six hours, who had recently miscarried and was at risk of suicide. We recommend that detainees must always be placed in the direct care of a responsible staff member.
Lunar House is the main route through which families are detained at Oakington Reception Centre. In spite of this, it had inadequate child protection procedures, and staff were not alert to the need to ensure that agreed safeguards on the detention of children were implemented.
These reports underline the importance of independent inspection of these facilities. Though they hold people for only short periods, they do so at a time of considerable stress, when detainees are suddenly cut off from the rest of the world. In these unannounced inspections, we found that staff were alert to these anxieties. However, these reports point to the reforms in procedure and practice that are needed to ensure they are safe and decent environments.
Above all, they point to the need for regular oversight of these centres, both by senior managers and independent visitors.
NCADC
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Stop Deportation - Heathrow - Tuesday!
26.03.2005 21:46
Alam is currently in the Manchester Airport detenton suite. Messages of support are welcomed. Dallas Court Detention Suite 0161-489-5702 ask to speak to him.
London/South-East people - would anyone be prepared to join us at Heathrow on Tuesday to try to stop this deportation? If you can help please email reading-anti-g8(at)cyber-rights.net
Everyone - please fax the airline (this is a technique that works. A deportation from Manchester airport was stopped last week because the airline refused to carry a deportee).
Also please pass this information around your networks. Please help. We have to stop this.
Text for airline fax follows:
To : Rohan Alce and James Hogan
Fax No. : 0208 600 7460
Forced Removal of Zahangir Alam on Flight GF4 Tuesday 29th April, 11am
Dear Mr Rohan Alce and Mr James Hogan,
We commend the pilots and other crew of various airlines who have stopped a number of forced removals of asylum seekers - they have shown compassion and regard for their passengers' safety.
We ask Gulf Air to stop an attempt to remove Alam on Tuesday 29th March.
Alam is a father and husband who has lived in Salford for nearly three years with his wife Naima and his sons, Jubaer (9) and his baby Jamiul (18 months). Alam was a politician in Bangladesh when he had had to flee for his life because of his membership of the Freedom Party.
His wife and children are not being removed at the same time as him and it is unlikely that they will ever be reunited once he has been deported to Bangladesh as his only limited recourse to safety will be to try to go into hiding. We feel that separating Alam from his young family violates their human rights and would make your airline complicit in this injustice.
Alam will be killed on arrival in Bangladesh. We know this because his Bangladesh lawyer wrote to Alam in a letter dated 25th January 2005: “two warrants of arrest have been issued against you, even in your absence. So it would not be wise to come back to Bangladesh at this moment…If you come back to Bangladesh now you will be arrested and put to trial immediately on your arrival…Not only that, the newly formed rapid action battalion (RAB) are indiscriminately killing political activists branded as criminals on the plea of cross fire. Since the letter of warrant is hanging on your head you may be killed by this special squad RAB without observing the due process of law. For your kind information, I let you know that one of your friends who was involved in the case [about Alam’s membership of the Freedom Party] has been killed by the RAB recently on the plea of cross fire without giving ay opportunity to defend himself legally. Circumstances being so grave I would advise you to stay where you are with your family to save your life until you get my clearance.”
Bangladesh is an unsafe country, especially for political activists. On 24.02.05. High Court Judge, Mr Justice Wilson ruled that it was unlawful to include Bangladesh in the official white list of countries that they say it is safe to return people to. This is because, ruled Justice Wilson, “it was all too clear” that persecution and human rights abuse were not isolated problems at the margins of life in Bangladesh which was officially ranked as worst for corruption on an international Index.
Fresh evidence for Alam is currently being translated and material for a new asylum claim being prepared. It would be wrong for Alam to be deported whilst this process is still underway
Some airlines have a company policy not to carry out forced removals and I hope Gulf Air will follow suit.
The UK newspaper The Guardian reported on December 13th 2003 that "Belgium suspended its policy of forcibly deporting failed asylum seekers until further notice yesterday" following the death during removal of a Nigerian woman.
Please act with humanity
Regards,
More info on indymedia
Rage
e-mail:
reading-anti-g8(at)cyber-rights.net
Homepage:
http://www.readingantig8.co.nr
heathrow action
28.03.2005 18:35
Many thanks to those people who are going to be there from those of us in Manchester who can't get there.
Naima and the children send you their love and thanks!
The Alam Family Campaign
eleanor
e-mail:
alamfamilycampaign@yahoo.co.uk