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Excessive restraint in immigration detention centres ‘deeply concerning’, report finds

Release Date
2025-11-26
Media
The Guardian
Summary
A new report by the Independent Monitoring Boards (IMB) finds that Home Office contractors are routinely overusing force in UK immigration detention centres and that a toxic staff culture is contributing to repeated abuses. The report, By Force of Habit, concludes that restraint is being applied inconsistently, excessively, and often without proper justification, undermining the dignity and welfare of vulnerable detainees.

The IMB found that routine handcuffing—especially during hospital transfers—has become the default rather than an exception. In one case, a frail 70-year-old man was handcuffed despite no risk being identified. It also noted incidents such as a suicidal detainee being carried half-naked onto a plane while staff pushed his head down.

Examples of troubling staff behaviour include a whiteboard message reading: “If you can’t eat it or hump it, piss on it or walk away,” and training advice suggesting officers need not worry about proportionality. IMB says such signs indicate deep cultural problems.

The report highlights missed opportunities for de-escalation, a lack of trauma-informed practice despite many detainees having histories of torture or trafficking, and major gaps in documentation and oversight—raising concerns about governance and accountability.

IMB’s national chair warns that restraint has become routine, oversight is weak, and detainee dignity is often disregarded. The report calls for urgent cultural reform, stronger accountability, and clearer safeguards to ensure force is truly a last resort.

Contractor Serco rejects the findings as “unevidenced,” but advocacy groups say the report confirms dangerous patterns of abuse. The Home Office says it will review the findings, while also pursuing major reforms aimed at expanding detention and facilitating more deportations.
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United Kingdom

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