Asylum seekers who have committed offences against children are being held alongside women and children at an immigration removal centre in London, an inspection report of the centre published this week has found, writes Clare Jerrom.

Centre managers at Harmondsworth said they thought it was “inappropriate” that they were sent deportees who had committed offences against children or been imprisoned for rape or violent offences.

Staff were not made aware who the offenders were. At the time of inspection, there were 25 children being held there.

The chief inspector of prisons, Anne Owers, branded their detention as “an area of concern”, reiterating previous concerns highlighted in inspection reports of Dungavel, Oakington and Tinsley House.

The centre was “essentially an unsafe place both for staff and detainees”, as a result of the diversity and constant flux of the population, level of staff supervision and physical environment.

Although Harmondsworth was originally expected to accommodate 3,000 detainees a year, the centre was handling 12,000 people annually, including people perceived as “control problems” who were sent to Harmondsworth because of its secure facilities.

Some of these people were mentally ill, but the inspection found that there was insufficient mental health support for detainees held in the in-patient ward. Although there was an average of one self-harm incident a week, suicide, self-harm and anti-bullying procedures were not effectively managed.

There had been several cases of reported injuries sustained by detainees during failed removals while in the care of the escort contractor and Owers said these claims should be “fully investigated”.