BBC NEWS | In Pictures | In pictures: Immigration removal

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09:22 GMT, Tuesday, 1 July 2008 10:22 UK

In pictures: Immigration removal

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Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre is a secure site outside Heathrow Airport used to hold people being deported from the UK.

Hanging baskets of flowers outside the reception and visitor centre

Hanging baskets of flowers outside the reception and visitor centre

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The centre is privately run. It looks like a jail - but is not part of the prison system and has slightly different rules and regulations.

A security camera high up on the Colnbrook perimeter

A security camera high up on the Colnbrook perimeter

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Colnbrook now handles the deportation of dangerous foreign national prisoners, partly as a response to a major disturbance at its less secure neighbour

A sign on the security gate saying "No Keys past this point"

A sign on the security gate saying "No Keys past this point"

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It has the trappings of a Category B prison - the second highest level of security - and holds up to 380 people. Many of the convicted criminals are held for just a few days before flights home.

One of the residential wings with tables and chairs

One of the residential wings with tables and chairs

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There are four long-term units, each holding 66 detainees. A short-term unit holds up to 80. Detainees are held in "rooms", not "cells".

Detainees' rooms on a landing

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Ministers have made deporting foreign prisoners a priority after a previous scandal. The prisons watchdog says this centre was struggling in 2007 to cope with dangerous offenders.

Arcade machines on one of the landings

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Some of the detainees are asylum seekers who have been found to have no case for refuge in the UK. Others include illegal workers detained after raids on unscrupulous employers in the black economy.

A training shoe and a football stuck in razor wire high above the exercise yard

A training shoe and a football stuck in razor wire high above the exercise yard

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Outside spaces have limited views beyond the centre's perimeter. The noise of airliners taking off dominates the atmosphere.

Bunks in a detainee's room

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In this room, there are bunks for two detainees, multi-lingual television, a screened shower and toilet. Other rooms are designed to segregate very dangerous prisoners.

A prisoner's luggage awaiting transfer to Heathrow

A prisoner's luggage awaiting transfer to Heathrow

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On departure day, a prisoner's belongings are collected for the drive to Heathrow. Many long-term prisoners accept the process - but removing failed asylum seekers sometimes leads to confrontations.

A spy hole in the door to a detainee's room. with a sticker saying "I did this challenge".

A spy hole in the door to a detainee's room. with a sticker saying "I did this challenge".

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Colnbrook looks like a prison - but the atmosphere is subtly different. The BBC was not permitted to interview any detainees to find out what they thought. Words/Pictures: Dominic Casciani.

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Related to this story:
Immigration centre 'less safe' (27 Nov 07 | UK )
Inmate deportations increase 22% (01 Jul 08 | UK )
Prison confused over deportation (09 Jun 08 | Essex )
Extra immigrant detention places (19 May 08 | UK )
4,000 foreign prisoners deported (26 Dec 07 | UK Politics )

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