Read the report: UK Border Force short-term holding facilities
The first national inspection of UK Border Force-run short-term holding facilities (STHFs) found detainees were often held in very poor conditions that embarrassed local staff trying to deliver respectful detention.
At a national level, Border Force, part of the Home Office, in an “alarming” lack of oversight, could not tell HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMI Prisons) how many facilities it ran or for how long detainees, including children, had been held. Inspectors found that a pregnant woman had been held for more than 27 hours with “little meaningful engagement” and that in some cases children were routinely handcuffed. Overall, though, inspectors noted that staff interactions with detainees were mostly polite, courteous and respectful.