THE Home Office has been told to act after female detainees were forced to mix with men with a history of sexual violence against women in an immigration centre due to Covid restrictions, inspectors have found.
The concerns over Dungavel Immigration Removal Centre in Lanarkshire surfaced in an analysis by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, who found women had to be escorted around the site to make sure they were safe from some of the male detainees.
The inspector Charlie Taylor said that before the pandemic, these men were held in a separate unit with controlled access to common parts of the centre.
But due to Covid "infection control arrangements", this was no longer considered possible and women had to be accompanied on site.
The inspector said that it meant that for most of a period of six months women had to be escorted when they moved around the centre.
A safer detention policy had aimed to make better provision for the care of women which the report said had improved since a 2018 inspection.
But the report said that meeting minutes suggested that the matter was not discussed substantively, other than stating that the centre was hohlding men who presented risk to women.
Charlie Taylor, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, wrote a recommendation to the Home Office saying: "Detainees who pose risks to women should not be held in a centre with a mixed population."
Twenty-one women had been held in the six months before the inspection, and 44% of frontline operational staff were women.
Inspectors, who visited Dungavel in July and August this year, said the equality policy was "underdeveloped" and there was no female detainee liaison officer.
The report found that a recommendation that risks associated with holding women and men should be routinely assessed and discussed at security meetings, and a specific safer custody and safeguarding policy should be developed for women was not achieved.
They also found detainees at Dungavel had been held for lengthy periods "with little prospect of being removed within a reasonable time".
It referenced one man who had been held for almost a year, although he had no travel documents and flights to his home country were "very restricted".
Some long-held detainees had also been assessed as "level 3 adults at risk" - the highest risk level - which meant the Home Office accepted that ongoing detention was having a negative impact on their health and well-being.
Others were held despite the Home Office accepting that they were victims of torture, the report said.
Among staff generally, Mr Taylor said: "There remained a positive culture focused on detainee welfare, and this was reflected in many conversations we had with staff and in our observations of the way that staff and detainees related to each other around the centre."
He did, however, raise concerns over some staff members rushing their interaction with detainees and not spending enough time to explain the circumstances thoroughly of those being held.
Mr Taylor added: "Many detainee custody officers complained of low morale and understaffing.
"While we saw no evidence that this discontent had yet affected the treatment of detainees or safety in the centre, it had the potential to become a more significant concern as the population increased and required sustained leadership attention."
Inspectors said there had been a "much needed investment" in the centre, with "substantial refurbishment and decoration of many areas", including a welcoming visits area.
Mr Taylor said: "The centre remained fundamentally safe, providing a relaxed and calm environment where levels of violence were very low."
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