Immigration Enforcement
Other
Action Planned
Immigration Enforcement will revise training to provide greater focus on dynamic decision making, with mandatory training for officers delivered from April 2022. Pursuit policy will be incorporated into the operational assurance framework. (AI summary)
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Inquest touching the death of Mustafa Dawood Bakhat Abdelkarim (Mustafa Dawood) Response to Regulation 28 Report
1. This letter is sent on behalf of Immigration Enforcement (IE) in response to the Regulation 28 Report to Prevent Future Deaths.
2. In providing this response to the Coroner's Report, IE wishes to repeat the offering of their sincere condolences to Mustafa Dawood's family, and emphasise their commitment to addressing the matters of concern raised by the Coroner.
3. The jury determined at the end of the inquest that the lack of pursuit training for Immigration Officers could have contributed to Mustafa Dawood's death. The coroner highlighted that whilst officers are introduced to the Pursuit Policy during induction training, they are not trained in pursuit or in how to make decisions in those stressful situations. It was determined there is a continuing risk of accidents or death unless action is taken to provide more practical training to Immigration Officers involved in pursuit situations. The current position
4. Pursuit Policy guidance is in place and, as noted by the coroner, Immigration Officers are introduced to the policy during induction training as part of the National Decision Model learning which includes operational considerations. Officer training covers the pursuit policy with an emphasis on safety and communication during typical immigration operations. The induction package and a five day Officer in Charge (OIC) course also provide training for officers on the roles and responsibilities of team members during operational activity. Action to be taken
5. As a result of the coroner's findings, IE has carried out a thorough review of the existing guidance and training. Going forward the learning will provide greater focus and clarity on situations where dynamic decision making may be required. In particular:
• Legal powers. Officers will be reminded of the powers available to them during immigration operations and in the event that a pursuit situation may arise;
• Dynamic decision making and communication at pace. The learning will cover potential pursuit situations and the need to consider contingencies and other options besides pursuit. The training material will be reviewed on an ongoing and continuous basis to ensure it remains relevant and is aligned with any policy changes and the most current guidance.
6. The training will be mandatory for all officers with Personal Safety Training at Level 3 and will be delivered by Immigration Enforcement Business Embedded Trainers who are immigration officers experienced in the operational role. The training will be delivered:
• from April 2022 to all new officers as part of their induction course with a refresher annually thereafter
• to existing staff as part of their annual arrest refresher training from April 2022. All existing operational staff will therefore receive the training over the course of 12 months and by the end of April 2023.
7. Pursuit policy will be incorporated into the operational assurance framework to ensure that officers' awareness, knowledge, understanding and application of the policy are tested and evaluated on an ongoing basis. The content of the policy will be reviewed on an ongoing and continuous basis and, if there are changes made to guidance or legislation, an update will be sent out directly to every operational officer providing detailed instructions. Where there is a major policy change, this update may be supplemented by ad hoc training which would be delivered by Business Expert Trainers (BETs). Evaluation is carried out by operational managers within each Immigration Compliance and Enforcement team. There is also a national operational assurance team which assures the work of arrest teams both remotely and by attending operational visits, producing reports outlining any areas for improvement. There are also knowledge checks included as part of all induction and refresher training to test understanding. Conclusion
8. IE hopes that the action set out above adequately addresses the concerns raised by the coroner. If, however, further information or clarification would be of assistance IE will of course endeavour to provide further detail.
1. This letter is sent on behalf of Immigration Enforcement (IE) in response to the Regulation 28 Report to Prevent Future Deaths.
2. In providing this response to the Coroner's Report, IE wishes to repeat the offering of their sincere condolences to Mustafa Dawood's family, and emphasise their commitment to addressing the matters of concern raised by the Coroner.
3. The jury determined at the end of the inquest that the lack of pursuit training for Immigration Officers could have contributed to Mustafa Dawood's death. The coroner highlighted that whilst officers are introduced to the Pursuit Policy during induction training, they are not trained in pursuit or in how to make decisions in those stressful situations. It was determined there is a continuing risk of accidents or death unless action is taken to provide more practical training to Immigration Officers involved in pursuit situations. The current position
4. Pursuit Policy guidance is in place and, as noted by the coroner, Immigration Officers are introduced to the policy during induction training as part of the National Decision Model learning which includes operational considerations. Officer training covers the pursuit policy with an emphasis on safety and communication during typical immigration operations. The induction package and a five day Officer in Charge (OIC) course also provide training for officers on the roles and responsibilities of team members during operational activity. Action to be taken
5. As a result of the coroner's findings, IE has carried out a thorough review of the existing guidance and training. Going forward the learning will provide greater focus and clarity on situations where dynamic decision making may be required. In particular:
• Legal powers. Officers will be reminded of the powers available to them during immigration operations and in the event that a pursuit situation may arise;
• Dynamic decision making and communication at pace. The learning will cover potential pursuit situations and the need to consider contingencies and other options besides pursuit. The training material will be reviewed on an ongoing and continuous basis to ensure it remains relevant and is aligned with any policy changes and the most current guidance.
6. The training will be mandatory for all officers with Personal Safety Training at Level 3 and will be delivered by Immigration Enforcement Business Embedded Trainers who are immigration officers experienced in the operational role. The training will be delivered:
• from April 2022 to all new officers as part of their induction course with a refresher annually thereafter
• to existing staff as part of their annual arrest refresher training from April 2022. All existing operational staff will therefore receive the training over the course of 12 months and by the end of April 2023.
7. Pursuit policy will be incorporated into the operational assurance framework to ensure that officers' awareness, knowledge, understanding and application of the policy are tested and evaluated on an ongoing basis. The content of the policy will be reviewed on an ongoing and continuous basis and, if there are changes made to guidance or legislation, an update will be sent out directly to every operational officer providing detailed instructions. Where there is a major policy change, this update may be supplemented by ad hoc training which would be delivered by Business Expert Trainers (BETs). Evaluation is carried out by operational managers within each Immigration Compliance and Enforcement team. There is also a national operational assurance team which assures the work of arrest teams both remotely and by attending operational visits, producing reports outlining any areas for improvement. There are also knowledge checks included as part of all induction and refresher training to test understanding. Conclusion
8. IE hopes that the action set out above adequately addresses the concerns raised by the coroner. If, however, further information or clarification would be of assistance IE will of course endeavour to provide further detail.