GATWICK/UK – Brook House immigration removal centre, near Gatwick airport, is the UK’s most notorious detention facility, a prison-like environment where handcuffs, hallucinations, specialist riot squads, and mental health crises are part of daily life.

Despite reforms following a damning 2017 inquiry, new evidence shows the centre continues to fail the most vulnerable migrants, many of whom have already survived torture, trauma, or prolonged detention.

A History Of Abuse:

Brook House was originally run by G4S. In 2017, undercover filming exposed guards choking, stripping, and physically abusing detainees. The resulting independent inquiry identified 19 credible breaches of human rights law, all relating to torture, inhuman or degrading treatment.

These breaches included:

1. Choking detainees during routine cell removals
2. Forcing detainees naked from their cells
3. Physical assaults during escort and restraint
4. Excessive and punitive use of restraint belts and handcuffs
5. Denial of basic dignity during medical or personal care
6. Verbal abuse and humiliation
7. Punitive isolation without proper oversight
8. Physical intimidation in communal areas
9. Inadequate supervision during self-harm incidents
10. Denial of access to interpreters when requested
11. Use of force on mentally unwell detainees without clinical assessment
12. Withholding necessary medication during periods of restraint
13. Improper handling of detainees with known trauma or torture histories
14. Failure to ensure safe conditions during cell searches
15. Rough handling during transfers and escorts
16. Ignoring requests for mental health support
17. Inadequate documentation of incidents and injuries
18. Encouragement of aggressive staff behaviour to control detainees
19. Breaches in reporting obligations to oversight authorities

“The abuses we saw were systematic and appalling. Many detainees were survivors of torture, yet they were treated worse than criminals,” said an official involved in the inquiry.

A Centre Born Of Controversy, And Still In Crisis:

Since the inquiry, Brook House has been managed by Serco under a Home Office contract, with reforms pledged, including improved staff training, monitoring, and oversight of use-of-force incidents. Yet the centre remains volatile. FOI data shows 31 uses of force in July 2025 alone, and repeated calls to the National Tactical Response Group (NTRG), a specialist riot squad, far beyond any other immigration removal centre.

“People routinely disclose not feeling safe in detention due to witnessing or experiencing force that feels excessive or inadequately risk-assessed,” says Hannah Carbery of the Gatwick Detainees Welfare Group.

Inside The Chaos: Officer Accounts.

Newly obtained reports from Brook House staff reveal a grim reality:

• Naked restraint: A new arrival was carried into the centre wearing only handcuffs, a waist belt, and a towel after allegedly failing to follow instructions.
• Mental health crises: Detainees with severe conditions have flooded rooms with boiling water, head-butted doors, and attempted self-harm.
• Drug-related aggression: Residents testing positive for psychoactive substances became combative, barricading themselves, self-harming, and tampering with phones to start fires.

Many detainees are not hardened criminals but asylum seekers, small-boat arrivals, or survivors of torture. The failure to identify vulnerabilities prior to detention is a recurring concern, a gap repeatedly highlighted by inspectors, legal challenges, and frontline charities.

“People here are terrified. Some have survived torture or long-term trauma. Yet staff routinely use force rather than support or de-escalation,” said Carbery.

Mental Health And Suicide Risk:

Inspection reports reveal nearly half of detainees report mental health problems, with 35% feeling suicidal.

Routine practices like handcuffing and prolonged isolation under Rule 40 are common, even for detainees awaiting hospital transfer.

Emma Ginn of Medical Justice warns:

“We continue to see widespread failures: lack of medication, hospital access, and excessive use of force on torture survivors and those whose mental capacity has deteriorated in detention.”

Charity And Legal Recommendations:

Experts and oversight bodies call for urgent reforms:

1. End indefinite detention with clear legal time limits
2. Mandatory vulnerability assessments before detention
3. Prioritise de-escalation over force, with handcuffs and restraints as a last resort
4. 24/7 mental health support, timely medication, and hospital transfers
5. Complete and transparent reporting of use-of-force incidents
6. Trauma-informed staff training
7. Rigorous oversight of contractors like Serco
8. Restrict isolation/Rule 40, with mental health supervision
9. Immediate Home Office notification of suicide risk
10. Legislative reform to align detention with human rights standards

Brook House In Context:

Brook House is not an isolated failure. Around 1,800–1,900 people were held under immigration powers at the end of 2024–2025, with many experiencing indefinite detention in prison-like conditions.

“Indefinite detention is a pressure cooker for mental distress and aggression. Brook House is simply the most extreme example,” said Ginn.

Timeline Of Key Developments At Brook House IRC:

Government And Serco Response:

• Serco: “Force is a last resort; incidents are reported and investigated.”
• Home Office: “Use-of-force reports are reviewed, and staff are trained on temporary confinement.”

Critics argue reforms are piecemeal, failing to address structural causes: indefinite detention, understaffing, and a culture of control over care.

Conclusion: A System At Breaking Point.

Nearly a decade after the G4S abuses were exposed, Brook House continues to expose the UK’s immigration detention failures. Vulnerable men and women face months or years in a prison-like environment, while mental health crises and excessive force are routine.

Unless reforms tackle the structural, cultural, and policy failures, including ending indefinite detention and investing in care rather than coercion, Brook House will remain a flashpoint in the UK’s immigration system.