Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre
Detainees
Harmondsworth has a capacity of 550, and holds single men only. In the past families and single women have been held there, but there is currently no suggestion that they will return. How to get thereThe nearest underground station is Heathrow Terminal 1/2/3 - then bus U3 from the Central Bus Station, just outside the Underground station. The bus ride takes about 10 minutes. It goes through a tunnel, round a roundabout and then turns left out of the Heathrow complex. Get off at the 3rd stop after the left turn, just before the bus turns right at some lights. Cross over at the lights and carry on walking down this road (Bath Rd / Colnbrook Bypass) for about 5 mins. Harmondsworth is on the right, immediately after the Sheraton and the new Colnbrook centre. It doesn't have a sign. View MapVisiting hours are 2pm-9pm daily, including weekends and public holidays. Visits do not need to be booked in advance with the centre. Visitors need to bring proof of identity (passport or driving licence) and proof of address (bill or bank statement) each time they visit. SecurityHarmondsworth is operated by a private security company called UK Detention Services, contracted by the Home Office. Security in immigration removal centres is comparable to prisons. Visitors show their photo ID (e.g. passport, driving licence), have an electronic photograph taken, give electronic fingerprints (not kept on record by the centre), leave all belongings in a locker, go through a metal detector and are searched, before they are accompanied to the Visitors Room. Detainees are not locked in their rooms in Harmondsworth, but free movement around the centre is restricted. Detainees are able to use the facilities, which include computers and computer classes, English classes, a games room, a gym and sports hall, and a library stocked with books in appropriate languages. Fast TrackMany detainees in Harmondsworth have been detained since they claimed asylum on "Fast Track". Asylum-seekers whose claims are considered likely to be straightforward are taken directly to Harmondsworth, allocated a duty solicitor, and have their asylum claims resolved within 38 days. Many detainees on Fast Track are confused and isolated, lacking knowledge of or connections in the UK, and are particularly reliant on their visitor to help them orientate themselves. Moreover, both the experiences which led them to come to the UK and the refusal of their asylum are recent events, and they are often badly in need of a sympathetic listener to help them to come to terms with their new situation and its perceived injustices. HM Inspectorate of Prisons Report
The February 2005 report on Harmondsworth by the independent HM Inspectorate of Prisons can be read at:
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