Prison
Cat STHF
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
London short term holding facilities (STHF)
IMB Annual Report 2025 · Published 12 June 2025
This report details the operations of London's Short-Term Holding Facilities (STHFs) from February 2024 to January 2025. While positive aspects include safe environments, respectful staff interactions, and improved medical support, significant concerns persist. These include extended detention times in unsuitable conditions, particularly for children, lack of privacy, and inadequate access to medication and reliable translation services. The IMB makes recommendations to the Minister, UK Border Force/Home Office, and Mitie Care & Custody to address these systemic issues, many of which are recurring from previous reports.
Positive Findings
The Board observed that all holding rooms generally provide a safe environment for detainees, with DCOs regularly checking on vulnerable people and children. Inductions were mostly of a high standard, and searches were conducted sensitively. Good practice was often seen in managing unaccompanied children and families. The Board welcomed a reduction in the number of people detained for over eight hours, as well as plans for the refurbishment of all holding rooms starting in summer 2025. Border Force officers and DCOs were frequently observed treating detainees with respect and providing genuine care. The appointment of an Aeromed medic has improved medical assistance, and the Board noted many removals proceeded smoothly due to a compassionate escort approach.
Key Concerns
Safety
Repeated
Children experiencing extended waits in Controlled Waiting Areas (CWAs) without dedicated responsible adults or adequate facilities, leading to a less welcoming environment than family rooms.
Safety
The child-sized benches with an adult-height table in the family room at London City Airport pose a risk of injury to detained people.
Safety
The safety of people being removed may be compromised if there are insufficient escorts to control a difficult situation, particularly in complex cases.
Staffing
Repeated
Insufficient numbers of Border Force officers sometimes result in long and unnecessary waits in Controlled Waiting Areas (CWAs) and holding rooms.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Those held in the CWAs have no, or very limited, privacy, with Terminal 2's CWA often being too small and crowded.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Repeated
Not all detainees are offered a translator on arrival, and delays or unavailability of certain languages in The Big Word translation service cause problems for inductions and communication.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Repeated
Holding rooms are not equipped for stays over 24 hours, but detainees frequently have long stays, often overnight, without sufficient mattresses and blankets, or access to natural light and fresh air.
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
The temperature in the holding rooms, both at London Heathrow and London City Airport, is sometimes too cold or too hot, and Detention Custody Officers (DCOs) are unable to control it directly.
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
Toilet seats in holding rooms at Heathrow have still not been installed in Terminal 5, and showers in Terminals 2 and 3 were frequently out of order.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Repeated
Detention Custody Officers (DCOs) are not consistently reminded to engage regularly with detained people during long periods of detention, meaning detainees forget important information provided during induction.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Repeated
Lack of internet access for detainees causes problems with translation devices and prevents individuals from interacting with their environment or accessing personal information, with a promised trial having stalled.
Complaints/Property
The quality and tone of responses to questions raised in IMB monitoring reports are variable, indicating missed opportunities for learning and improving practices.
Healthcare
Repeated
People detained at London City Airport and Eaton House still do not have access to their own prescribed or over-the-counter medication.
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
Asylum seekers face long waits for Clearsprings to pick them up, often due to unavailability of accommodation or transport.
Other
The provided lists of legal advice providers are often unhelpful, with detainees having little prospect of accessing timely legal advice.
Food/Catering
The water fountains have not been in use since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic and have yet to be restored.
Food/Catering
Lack of choice in microwaveable meals, particularly for halal food, and infrequent availability of fresh fruit.
Equality/Diversity
Non-independent wheelchair users could be denied access to holding rooms if not accompanied by a carer, as C&C staff are not trained to lift and carry disabled individuals.
Complaints/Property
Variable response times for complaints, sometimes exceeding 20 days, which the Board would like to see resolved within 15 days.
Board Commentary
Staffing
The report highlights insufficient numbers of Border Force officers at peak times, leading to extended waits in controlled waiting areas (CWAs). Delays were attributed to limited resources, industrial action, and a lack of trained staff for specific functions. The IMB also raised concerns that the composition of escort teams for complex removals might not always be adequate, potentially compromising safety. Additionally, C&C staff are not trained to assist non-independent wheelchair users, which can lead to denial of access to holding rooms.
Healthcare
A significant concern is the continued lack of access to personal prescribed or over-the-counter medication for detainees at London City Airport and Eaton House. In contrast, Heathrow Airport benefits from a 24/7 Aeromed paramedic service, which has been widely welcomed and assists with medical issues, including medication administration, with 28 people taken to hospital during the year. The report also noted an instance where a detainee with diabetes required internet access for a medical monitoring device, highlighting a gap in provision.
Regime & Daily Life
Detainees frequently experience long waits in controlled waiting areas (CWAs) due to insufficient Border Force staff, with limited privacy and no facilities for children. Holding rooms are not designed for stays over 24 hours, yet many individuals, including children, face extended detentions without sufficient mattresses, blankets, or natural light and fresh air. Temperature control in holding rooms is often inadequate, causing discomfort. Issues persist with frequently out-of-order showers in Terminals 2 and 3, and a lack of toilet seats in Terminal 5. Water fountains remain out of use, and while microwaveable meals are varied, choice, especially for halal food and fresh fruit, can be limited. Detainees lack direct internet access and often forget induction information regarding phone calls or available resources.
Recommendations (15)
Ministry of Justice: 3
Home Office: 8
Other: 4
11 repeated
Recommendation 1
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The Board would like to see access to Wi-Fi for detained people across all the holding rooms. The trial started late in the year and has been halted. We are pleased to note that there is the intention to restart the trial.
Ministry of Justice
Regime
Response
The trial started late in the reporting year and has been paused until fire-safe boxes are available.
Recommendation 2
The Board would like the lack of signal in Terminal 2 to be urgently addressed, so that a translation device can be used to communicate with detained people.
Ministry of Justice
Regime
Recommendation 3
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Eaton House and London City Airport urgently need a workable solution for administering personal medication. This issue has been raised for many years now, including at Ministerial level.
Ministry of Justice
Healthcare
Response
No progress.
Recommendation 4
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The Board recommends that more officers be deployed at peak times to avoid unnecessarily extended periods of detention in the controlled waiting areas and the holding rooms.
Home Office
Staffing
Response
This issue remains a concern for the Board.
Recommendation 5
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The Board has observed that some children had extended waits in the CWA. The facilities in the CWA do not compare with the environment of a family holding room and the Board would like to see these children accommodated in the holding room instead.
Home Office
Safety
Response
This remains a concern for the Board.
Recommendation 6
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The holding rooms are not equipped for stays over 24 hours and the Board would like to a significant reduction in the 3.5% of detained people experiencing these long stays.
Home Office
Regime
Response
The number of stays of over 24 hours is still an issue of concern, although the Board is pleased to note the reduction in the number of stays over 24 hours.
Recommendation 7
We would like a review of the purpose of the lists of legal advice providers so that those who are detained do not have unrealistic expectations.
Home Office
Other
Recommendation 8
We seek clarity on the mechanism for deciding whether a removal constitutes a complex case in terms of an escorted removal.
Home Office
Safety
Recommendation 9
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The temperature problems in the holding rooms, both at London Heathrow and London City Airport, need to be resolved. The Board would like to see DCOs be given some form of control, either by being able to directly adjust the temperature or by asking someone to adjust the temperature at their request. The temperature problem in London City Airport was also raised in last year's report.
Home Office
Estate
Response
This is still an issue at times. The refurbishment may support an improvement in this situation.
Recommendation 10
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The Board has been asking for toilet seats to be installed in all terminal holding rooms for the last few years and we would like to see this issue finally resolved.
Home Office
Estate
Response
The toilets in Terminal 5 remain without seats.
Recommendation 11
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
We would like to see shorter collection waiting times for those seeking asylum and being transferred to asylum accommodation.
Home Office
Resettlement
Response
This has continued to be an issue this year.
Recommendation 12
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
We repeat the recommendation that the detention contractor should ensure that DCOs use The Big Word interpretation service for inducting non-English-speaking passengers and that they should not assume that passengers with a limited grasp of English really understand what they are being told.
Other
(other)
Regime
Response
This has continued to be an issue this year.
Recommendation 13
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Delays and unavailability of certain languages in The Big Word translation service need to be addressed.
Other
(other)
Regime
Response
Delays are still experienced at times.
Recommendation 14
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
In previous reports, we have recommended that DCOs should be reminded to engage regularly with detained people during their long periods of detention, because they do not remember everything they have been told during their induction. This year, again, we observed people who would have benefited from a reminder of what is available to them in the holding rooms. We, again, make this recommendation.
Other
(other)
Regime
Response
This has been an issue on some occasions.
Recommendation 15
The mattresses in the holding rooms are very thin. We would like Mitie Care & Custody to continue their search for thicker mattresses.
Other
(other)
Regime