Restraints, including shackles and handcuffs, were used on hundreds of people being deported from the UK, it has been revealed.
Home Office subcontractors used restraints on 447 separate occasions between April 2018 and March 2019, often on people who were not being violent.
Figures also showed that in 335 cases more than one form of restraint was used at the same time, while 102 cases three different pieces of restraint equipment were used.
A Freedom of Information request revealed that rigid bar handcuffs, leg restraints and waist restraint belts were used on deportees as they were being escorted out of the country.
(Image: NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Much of the restraint used during deportation took place on Home Office-commissioned flights, the Guardian reported .
Deportee passengers on a charter flight to Jamaica in February had all been restrained for at least part of the flight, it was claimed earlier this year.
Home Office guidance from 2016 says risk assessments must be carried out before restraints are employed and must “preserve the dignity of the detainee”.
(Image: Barcroft Media via Getty Images)
It also states that restraints may not only be used on violent detainees, but also on those who have made self-harm or suicide attempts or those with medical issues.
Labour MP David Lammy condemned the report and said that use of such restraints were excessive and showed an “abuse of power”.
Lammy said: “This paints a hugely chilling picture that appears to go far beyond reasonable and proportionate force.
“The ancestors of many of those who find themselves on these flights were once put in chains and shackles too.
“This abuse of power is utterly shameful and future generations will look back on it with horror.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “The dignity and welfare of all those in our care is of the utmost importance, as is the safety of individuals and those around them.
“We keep the use of restraint during escorted removals under review and we look at all removals where force is used to ensure that techniques are used proportionally, that they are justified, and are used for the minimum period required.”
