Government-contracted security officers have been investigated over a string of attacks on detainees inside Maribyrnong Immigration Detention Centre, with two guards recently sacked for serious misconduct.
Officers say the violent clashes reflect a growing “culture of excessive force” at Victoria’s main immigration detention centre, which is run on behalf of the federal government by private security firm Serco.
The Commonwealth Ombudsman has launched an investigation into allegations that several officers harmed a detainee, who was handcuffed behind his back and held down on his stomach for 45 minutes.
Serco also confirmed it has sacked two officers over an assault on a Sri Lankan detainee, who was pushed and punched in the face in December. Another reported attack, investigated internally, involved a middle-aged Chinese woman allegedly being kicked in the stomach by a guard.
Dozens of complaints have been lodged by inmates at the Maribyrnong centre in recent years, mostly about staff harassment and bullying. But insiders say the recent allegations of brutality show the centre was being run like a “prison camp”.
“We’ve got detainees who are being literally bashed … viciously assaulted,” one officer said. “If this sort of thing had happened six or 12 months ago, people would not only be sacked but even charged with an offence.”
Pamela Curr, of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, said Serco had transferred a number of “hard-line” managers out of the prison system into the centre late last year.
“Ex-prison guards have a very different culture and mentality to officers who have been trained to guard asylum seekers.”
A spokeswoman for the Immigration Department said all claims of staff misconduct were investigated and the department was co-operating with the ombudsman’s probe into allegations that excessive force was used against a detainee.
“The department expects Serco to take suitable disciplinary action against staff who have been proven to have acted inappropriately,” she said.
“The department takes its duty of care to detainees very seriously and works closely with Serco to ensure standards are met.”
A Serco statement said its own investigations had found “no evidence … to substantiate allegations of misconduct” in two incidents, but a third inquiry had resulted in dismissals.
“Our officers are trained to de-escalate incidents … and only use approved control and restraint techniques as a last resort,” it stated.
