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Asylum protesters 'now contained' Protest asylum centre evacuated
(about 4 hours later)
A mutiny inside the UK's largest immigration centre has been contained, the Home Office has said. About 150 immigration offenders are to be bailed to make room for detainees caught up in a mutiny at the UK's largest immigration centre.
Detainees at the 500-capacity Harmondsworth centre in west London staged a protest about living conditions in the early hours. The 500-capacity Harmondsworth centre in west London will be partially evacuated, the Home Office said.
Officials said the unrest had been "contained" after a day of protest over living conditions.
Fires were started and about 50 asylum seekers spelt out "help" and "SOS" with bed sheets in the courtyard.Fires were started and about 50 asylum seekers spelt out "help" and "SOS" with bed sheets in the courtyard.
The Home office said the situation was contained but some of the detainees would be moved from Harmondsworth. Immigration offenders from other detention centres would be released on bail to make room for the arrival of detainees from Harmondsworth.
Lin Homer, head of the immigration and nationality directorate, said: "The perimeter remains secure, and no-one has escaped. There has been no risk to the public. No injuries to staff or detainees have been reported." Lin Homer, head of the immigration and nationality directorate, stressed no foreign national prisoners would be released.
Repeated disturbances 'Sabotage attempt'
She said 150 immigration offenders at centres across the UK would be bailed to make space for the detainees that were moved from Harmondsworth. "The situation at Harmondsworth remains contained," she said. "The perimeter remains secure, and no-one has escaped.
"These are people who have been detained in order to better enforce their removal. We will priorities the cases according to risk. No foreign national prisoners will be released," Ms Homer added. "There has been no risk to the public. No injuries to staff or detainees have been reported."
The disturbance erupted following the publication of a prisons' watchdog report which criticised the centre's regime after repeated disturbances there. This is yet another example of John Reid's mismanagement of the immigration system Damian GreenShadow immigration minister
Police were alerted at about 0040 GMT and prison officers and fire crews provided assistance at the centre near Heathrow Airport. Ms Homer said the disturbance was a "deliberate attempt to sabotage" the removals process.
Harmondsworth's conditions have been criticised before "Removal will still be pursued vigorously in all cases," she said. "We will prioritise the cases according to risk."
Dozens of extra officers, including riot police and dog handlers, were sent to the centre, which currently has 482 residents. Police were alerted at about 0040 GMT to reports of unrest which spread to all four wings of the centre, which currently has 482 residents.
The disturbances spread to all four wings of the centre and several fires were lit, setting off the sprinkler system. The unrest erupted following the publication of report raising concerns about poor relations between staff and detainees at the centre.
In a report published on Tuesday, the chief inspector of prisons was highly critical of standards at the centre. Chief inspector of prisons Anne Owers said her new report on Harmondsworth was the poorest she had yet issued on such a facility.
The report said detainees feared bullying, and staff were unaware of a special plan to prevent suicides. It was not meeting any of her major tests and more than 60% of detainees said they felt unsafe, the report said.
The Home Office said it would draw up a plan to improve the centre. Home Office minister Liam Byrne said he took Ms Ower's report recommendations "very seriously".
In 2004, a detainee committed suicide at Harmondsworth, sparking a major disturbance that led to its temporary closure. "An action plan responding in detail is currently being drawn up to ensure further improvements are made," he said.
Since then, the centre has been at the centre of ongoing campaigns against detention of failed asylum seekers. Shadow immigration minister Damian Green criticised Home Secretary John Reid over the need to bail detainees.
He said: "This is yet another example of John Reid's mismanagement of the immigration system."
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