‘Gaping lack of oversight’: UK Border Force doesn’t know how many detention facilities it runs, says report

Watchdog warns of ‘alarming lack of oversight and accountability’ in Britain’s short-term holding facilities, with children and pregnant women held in ‘very poor conditions’ for ‘far too long’

The UK Border Force intercepted nearly £15.5 worth of illegal and unlicensed medicines at air, sea and rail ports in 2018 (PA)

UK Border Force doesn’t know how many detention facilities it runs, according to a new report which also highlights that children and pregnant women are being held in poor conditions for “far too long”.

An inspection by the prisons watchdog warns of an “alarming lack of oversight and accountability” in Britain’s short-term holding facilities, with staff telling inspectors they felt as though they had been “forgotten” and that there had no national guidance as to how they should be run.

The report — the first national inspection of UK Border Force-run short-term holding facilities, where newly arrived unauthorised migrants are held — warns of “inadequate oversight” of detention practices for children, youngsters handcuffed and searched by adults of the opposite sex.

It found that some vulnerable detainees had been held for “far too long”, including one pregnant woman who was held for nearly 28 hours in Harwich, Essex, with “little meaningful engagement” beyond the offer of food and drink.

In another case, a pregnant woman travelling in a family group was detained, and it took Border Force officers two hours after being informed by her father that she was pregnant and had been confined in a van and had not eaten for two days to contact the NHS helpline and take her to the local hospital.

Her pregnancy was confirmed at the hospital, and she was returned to the holding room later that day and held for a further six and half hours before being released with her family just after midnight.

The report, based on inspections of facilities at eight seaports and five airports in March 2020, found there was little or no legal advice made available to people being detained, and that correct legal authorisation for detention was not always completed.

Peter Clarke, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, said most detainees arrived after “arduous and often dangerous” journeys concealed in lorries and containers, and were subsequently held in often “very poor conditions”.

“Local Border Force staff were themselves commonly embarrassed by the low standard of accommodation and lack of facilities,” he said.

A major finding of the report was that “there has to date been inadequate leadership and management of detention”.

It states: “The fact that Border Force senior managers could not even tell us with certainty which of their ports actually had detention facilities suggests an alarming lack of oversight and accountability.”

Mr Clarke said there was an “urgent need” for Border Force managers to undertake a comprehensive national audit of detention. He said he had been informed that work was underway to make substantial improvements.

Bella Sankey, director of Detention Action, said the report painted a “troubling and chaotic picture” of the UK’s border management.

“Senior border force management do not know how many detention facilities they run, children are being handcuffed and searched by adults of the opposite sex, there is a gaping lack of oversight and accountability and there is little or no legal advice made available to people being detained,” she said.

“This is neither humane, responsible or fair — especially given the acute vulnerability of those the Border Force routinely comes into contact with.“

Holly Lynch, shadow immigration minister, said: “Worryingly, reports like this are all too common for services overseen by Home Office ministers.

“After a decade of Conservative government, grip and competence are lacking in so many areas, as issues like the Windrush Scandal exposed so vividly.”

A Home Office spokesperson said: “We take the criticisms contained in this report seriously and work to make improvements is already under way.

“An audit of all Border Force-run short-term holding facilities, which will establish national accommodation standards, was launched last month and new processes for record keeping, to ensure length of detention is kept to a minimum, have been developed.”