Warning: this article contains mentions of suicide and distressing content.
There has been a significant increase in the number of people held in a segregation unit at the controversial Brook House immigration removal centre in the UK, according to data exclusively obtained by The News Movement.
This comes as the Brook House Inquiry report found “unacceptable” incidents of mistreatment, physical violence and “dangerous” use of force against people detained at Brook House immigration removal centre (IRC) in 2017.
The segregation unit - officially named the Care and Separation Unit (CSU) - is a six-cell unit inside the Brook House used to ensure the “safety and security” of the centre by separating an individual from other detainees.
Exclusive figures obtained by TNM via a freedom of information request reveal 12 individuals were held in the CSU in 2020. This rose to 64 in 2021.
Last year,119 people were held in the CSU and this year 49 people have been held in the unit from January to May*.
*The FOI response stated this information has been sourced by provisional management information that is subject to change and has not been assured to the standard of official statistics.
Brook House, located next to Gatwick Airport, is one of seven IRCs in the UK.
It holds between 300 and 400 adult men waiting to find out whether they have the right to stay in the country. If not, they may be removed or deported from the UK.
The final report from the Brook House Inquiry, which was published yesterday, found segregation was used “inappropriately” and “improperly” as a punishment during a five-month period in 2017.
During this time, security firm G4S managed the centre on behalf of the Home Office. Since May 2020, public services provider Serco has managed the IRC.
The inquiry also found rules around segregation were “routinely misunderstood, misinterpreted and misapplied” by staff at G4S and the Home Office.
The report stated there was evidence that “confusion and potential misunderstanding persists” under Serco’s management of the IRC.
The number of people entering detention at Brook House has also increased from 1167 in 2020 to 2311 in 2022, according to data published by the Home Office.
In response to the increased use of the CSU, a spokesperson for Serco said: “There have been a number of factors impacting the operation of the centre during the period since 2020, not least the Covid pandemic when the numbers of residents in the centre was significantly reduced, and when significant restrictions on movement within the centre were required.
“We have also more recently seen an increase in the proportion of time served foreign national offenders at the centre.
“The CSU is only used as a last resort and always in-line with Home Office guidance.”
‘The Block’
The News Movement spoke with several people detained at Brook House earlier this year who referred to the CSU as ‘The Block’.
Artan Koboci, 36, was held in Brook House CSU in May. He said he was held for around six days because staff suspected he was involved in organising a protest at the centre - Artan denies this.
The News Movement has seen a Serco report which confirms Artan was held at the Brook House CSU for reports he “may be involved in the instigating potential disruption/protest in the centre this weekend.”
Artan’s lawyer, Nicholas Hughes from Duncan Lewis Solicitors, said this was “unlawful” and an “inappropriate use of power” to place someone into the CSU on a “preemptive assumption.”
During his time in isolation, Artan said he did not eat for several days due to a medical problem and “bleeding” from his mouth. He described suffering with suicidal thoughts and claims he was not given enough medical support.
He told TNM earlier this year: "We are not allowed to be [held] like this because we are migrants, we are not prisoners…This is destroying our lives.”
At the time, Serco responded to Artan’s claims and said he would have been seen everyday by the healthcare team at Brook House during his time in isolation.
The public services provider added Artan did not express suicidal thoughts to their staff at any point during his time in isolation and has never complained about his treatment by their staff.
Following his time in segregation at Brook House, Artan was then transferred to Harmondsworth IRC where he said he was also placed in isolation.
Artan’s lawyer is challenging Artan’s overall detention in IRCs as well as his detention in the CSUs in Brook House and Harmondsworth as part of a judicial review and official complaints through the professional standards unit.
Nicholas Hughes said there was an “unlawful use of segregation for the first instance, in relation to the protests, but also separately when he was segregated following a mental health crisis and a suicide attempt."
He said: “When he was put in [Harmondsworth CSU] as a result of his mental health crisis, it was completely inappropriate use of those powers again…given the evidence…demonstrate[s] that him being on segregation would only enhance his risk of self harm and suicide.”
The lawyer added: “We know problems are still ongoing. We have numerous clients of my own, at least over the last few years, [who] have all faced segregation for various completely nonsensical reasons.”
Artan, who has since been released from immigration removal centres, said he was put into isolation at Brook House “without proof, without evidence.”
The Home Office and Serco said it does not comment on individual cases and ongoing legal proceedings.
Serco also made clear immigration policy, the length of stay and individual asylum cases are all determined by the Home Office.
A spokesperson for the Home Office said: “Immigration removal centres are essential to tackling illegal migration, protecting the public and removing those with no right to be in the UK.
“The health and welfare of individuals in our care is of the utmost importance and we are committed to ensuring that detention and removal are carried out with dignity and respect.”
The government department said decisions to detain individuals are taken on a case by case basis and published Home Office policy states detention must only ever be used sparingly and for the shortest period necessary.
In response to the report from the Brook House Inquiry, a spokesperson for the Home Office said the abuse that took place in 2017 was “unacceptable”.
The spokesperson added: “The government has made significant improvements since then to uphold the welfare and dignity of those detained including strengthening safeguards, promoting a culture of transparency and improving the oversight of contractors’ performance.”
In response to the report, security firm G4S apologised for the actions of its former staff and said it took “swift action” to make changes.
When life is difficult, Samaritans are here – day or night, 365 days a year. You can call them for free on 116 123, email them at jo@samaritans.org, or visit www.samaritans.org to find your nearest branch.