Asylum centre staff 'to be doubled'

The intense heat has hampered searches of the site

Group 4 has agreed to double the number of staff at Yarl's Wood immigration centre in Bedfordshire following disturbances, according to unions.

The security company, which runs the centre, reportedly gave assurances about increasing staffing levels at a meeting with the GMB to discuss the riot and fire which broke out on Thursday.

Police are still trying to account for 25 inmates who escaped from the £100 million complex during the disturbances.

The GMB has been asking for similar measures for the last six months

Ed Blissett
GMB

Officers and fire crews are expected to begin a full-scale search of the wreckage on Monday, but only after a safety assessment is carried out.

The GMB's senior organiser, Ed Blissett, said in the meeting the union also won assurances that workers traumatised by the disturbances would get counselling.

Workers were also going to be told about detainees with criminal records arriving at Yarl's Wood in future, he added.

Mr Blissett said: "I welcome these new arrangements with regard to staff, information and care but tragically, it is very much shutting the stable door after the horse has galloped off and disappeared over the horizon.

"The GMB has been asking for similar measures for the last six months."

'Courage'

A spokesman for the security firm said it would be looking at staffing levels carefully.

"As a result of the incident the way that we manage detainees will be looked at and there will be short term arrangements which could lead to long term changes," he said.

"We are proud of our staff and they dealt with the situation last week with great courage. Our most important task is now to move forward with them and support them."

The police have now handed control of the centre back to Group 4 but have kept officers on site for "back-up and support".

Meanwhile campaign groups have condemned the response to the disturbances as "absolutely and utterly appalling".

Firefighters damp down at the £100m centre

They said refugees had collapsed after being forced to stand outside in sub-zero temperatures and faced having their appeals against deportation threatened because vital documents were destroyed in the fire.

But the Home Office has said although some locally-held records have been destroyed, all asylum seekers records are also held at the ports where they entered the UK or at the Immigration Service in Croydon.

Separate inquiries by the Immigration Service, police and Group 4 are under way into the incident, which caused damage costing an estimated £38m.

Officers were attacked when an argument erupted in the visitors' centre on Thursday night and had their keys snatched.

Six people, including two police officers, were injured in the riot.

Built last year to house 900 people, Yarl's Wood is Europe's largest immigration centre.

Group 4 said 123 detainees have been transferred to other sites, with 222 remaining in the undamaged area.