At the Home Affairs Select Committee on the 2nd of November 2010 Cambridge MP Julian Huppert questioned David Banks, Group MD of G4S and Stephen Small MD of the G4S Detention & Escorting Business on their use of “control and restraint” when deporting people.
Mr Huppert reported a very worrying instance of the police refusing to investigate allegations of assault against G4S staff, on the grounds it wasn’t their job, but the UK Border Agency’s, to investigate complaints against them. (3 minutes 14 seconds into the video)
While Mr Huppert didn’t explicitly say that Cambridgeshire Police were the force which refused to investigate, he stated he had been made aware of the problem by a constituent so it appears highly likely.
I think Mr Huppert has drawn attention to a critical failing by the police. We cannot have one law for the state’s private security contractors and another for everyone else. The police must investigate allegations of assault fairly whoever they come from and whoever they are against. This is something I think the police authority should take up and investigate; they need to assure themselves, and the public, that neither G4S officers, or anyone else, are considered above the law.
G4S management said they were quite shocked at what Mr Huppert reported as the police have powers to investigate any incident.
Mr Huppert also questioned the disparity between reports, including from inquests, about what was going on and the views of G4S management.
The whole session can be viewed on the Parliament Live website via this link.
I was particularly shocked by the description of a “nose distraction technique” involving hitting the base of someone’s nose sharply upwards which had been used to help control those being detained. I was happy to hear the use of this has already been stopped.
I think we have a duty to treat those we detain and deport properly, in a morally defensible manner. Not only because it’s the right thing to do, but because it’s not in our national interest to have lots of people genuinely and legitimately very angry at the way we have treated them.
Link to video on YouTube – provides additional option to share / embed
4 responses to “Cambridge MP Julian Huppert Questions G4S Management on Use of Control and Restraint”
I’ve written to Cllr Wilkins, a member of Cambridgeshire Police Authority, alerting him to the suggestion the force might not be investigating allegations of assault against certain agents of the state.
I hope and expect he will share my view that this is a very dangerous slippery slope to start going down.
Just for the record, it wasn’t Cambridgeshire police; it was the police covering the airport involved.
Thanks for clarifying that Julian.
the home office have stopped G4S’s contract – but the new ‘suppliers’ are former undertakers!