Source · IMB Annual Report
South and East 2022-23 Short Term Holding Facilities (STHF)
Year: 2023
Published: 8 Jun 2023
Type: Prison · Cat STHF
Recommendations: 3
Key concerns
Positive findings
The Independent Monitoring Board for South and East STHFs observed increasing numbers of individuals held for extended periods, sometimes over 24 hours and up to 100 hours, in facilities designed for short-term detention. The Board highlights inhumane sleeping conditions due to the removal of mats, inadequate privacy, and lack of exercise facilities and showers. Key concerns include significant delays in facility maintenance and capacity issues, alongside insufficient provisions for vulnerable individuals and those with disabilities.
Positive findings
C&C officers are consistently praised for their tact, sensitivity, and care in challenging situations, including inductions and escorts. The Board welcomes the introduction of 24/7 healthcare support at major airports and notes improvements in safeguarding documentation. Good working relationships between C&C and Border Force staff are also observed. The decision for Border Force officers to escort individuals to flights at Luton is also seen as positive, allowing C&C staff to focus on in-facility care.
Key concerns
Regime/Time Out of Cell
People are regularly detained for long periods in STHFs which are designed to hold people for very short periods only, with increasing numbers held for over 24 hours, and in one instance nearly 100 hours.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
STHFs lack adequate facilities for sleep or exercise, offer no privacy, and, apart from Gatwick South, no airport holding rooms provide showers.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
It is inhumane to require people to sleep on the floor, particularly as sleeping mats were removed in September 2022 and have not been replaced.
Estate/Conditions
Significant delays are being experienced in resolving problems associated with the maintenance and repair of STHFs due to port operator responsibility.
Safety
There is a lack of commitment to resolve safety issues, including a trip hazard at Gatwick North, untried panic alarms, and an unsuitable microwave area at Stansted.
Overcrowding
Repeated
Capacity issues at many airport STHFs are not being adequately addressed, particularly impacting the ability to care for multiple families or families with other vulnerable adults safely and decently.
Equality/Diversity
Repeated
The needs of those with limited mobility, sight, or hearing impairment are still not being adequately addressed, and facilities are lacking in most airport holding rooms.
Resettlement/Release
The length of detention is often increased by delays on the part of Clearsprings in attending to transfer detainees, with some individuals awaiting bail transport for over 12 hours.
Safety
C&C offices where inductions are carried out at Gatwick South, Luton, and Stansted lack adequate privacy, making it difficult for detainees to disclose sensitive information.
Estate/Conditions
The holding rooms at Purfleet and Felixstowe ports are not fit for purpose and are in a very poor state of repair.
Healthcare
There is no Aeromed cover at Lunar House, meaning C&C officers lack access to healthcare professional advice for detainees requiring medication.
Mental Health
It is not always possible for C&C officers to be aware of detainees with un-declared mental health difficulties, posing a potential safety issue.
Staffing
The staffing arrangement at Gatwick can result in only one member of staff being available, raising safeguarding concerns if urgent attention is needed.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Property storage arrangements are generally inadequate across STHFs, lacking secure areas, with Stansted storing property in unsecured baskets.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
The payphone at Stansted airport has a full cash box, preventing use without a credit card and hindering family contact.
Recommendations
| # | Recommendation | Addressee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Board recommends that the contracts with the various airports are reviewed to ensure that adequate support is provided for those with limited mobility, sight or hearing impairment and that problems associated with the maintenance and repair of the STHFs are resolved in a timely manner. Repeated | Home Office | |
| 2 | The Board recommends that the Home Office review the capacity of each of the holding rooms, noting the increase in international travel, and ensure that these facilities meet the standards needed to support those with mobility or sight/hearing impairment, families with children and vulnerable people. Repeated | Home Office | |
| 3 | We also recommend that an adequate supply of sleeping mats, pillows and bedding be provided within all airport holding rooms without further delay. | Home Office |
Report details
- Establishment
- South and East 2022-23 Short Term Holding Facilities (STHF)
- Type
- Prison · Cat STHF
- Report year
- 2023
- Published
- 8 June 2023
- Recommendations
- 3
Service providers
Facility Management
Mitie Care and Custody (C&C)
Healthcare
Aeromed
Transfer & Accommodation
Clearsprings