Violent criminals have been terrorising refugees at Maribyrnong Immigration Detention Centre, forcing them to hide.
Footscray Police have been called to a number of recent assaults and incidents at the centre as gangs of criminals awaiting deportation have set upon and threatened to kill refugees.
Footscray police’s Inspector Tony Long said police had been called to the centre at least four times in the past month in relation to incidents, including escapes or assaults.
“There are issues at the moment, to be honest,” he said.
“The grim reality is that Maribyrnong Immigration Detention Centre has people there who are outward-bound. Some of those are as simple as overstaying a visa, while others are there in relation to their criminal activity.”
A group of nine refugees last week moved into a protected ward accessible only to officers after being kicked out of their rooms by a gang of “501s”.
The so-called 501 detainees are usually former prisoners, not refugees, awaiting deportation under section 501 of the Migration Act after being sentenced to a year or more in jail.
One of the nine told media a gang of New Zealand criminals had “blades and wires”, and had threatened to kill a group of Sri Lankan asylum seekers.
Inspector Long said the combination of refugees and hardened criminals being held at the centre had created a volatile situation for detainees and guards.
“It is out of our realm to comment in terms of what’s happening with deportation policy. But you can certainly assume the mix is less than ideal,” he said.
As well as responding to incidents, police hold regular meetings with centre operators Serco and Department of Immigration and Border Protection officials.
A department spokeswoman said it would be inappropriate to comment on particular placements for individual detainees.
But she pointed to recent comments by Immigration and Border Protection Minister Peter Dutton that detention centres were holding more detainees with criminal backgrounds.
The latest incidents come in the wake of five recent escapes, the discovery of drugs, and complaints of heavy-handed behaviour by guards that has led to the sacking of two staff.
