Migrants are arriving in the UK soaking wet and with petrol burns after crossing the Channel, a British watchdog has said.
Chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor has raised concerns about the Home Office’s “haphazard” arrangements for Channel migrants by describing the conditions of some people brought ashore in Kent.
“People are arriving wet, sometimes with petrol burns," Mr Taylor said. "People are still having to occasionally spend a night in a tent without proper bedding."
Mr Taylor, who will have the responsibility of scrutinising conditions on Rwanda deportation flights if they go ahead, said families were “crammed into facilities where some basic safeguards were not in place”.
He likened the Kent Intake Unit to a “hospital waiting room with bright neon lights on all night”.
Mr Taylor said inspectors came across a case where a man who had a conviction for a relatively serious offence was spending the night in the centre with children and families.
“I remain very concerned about the haphazard arrangements in place for those who have crossed the Channel in small boats," he said in an overview of inspections over the past year.
“Promised facilities in Dover had not materialised when we inspected in November 2021, and we found that some families were sleeping on the floor in flimsy tents with inadequate bedding or crammed into facilities where some basic safeguards were not in place.”
Given the growing number of arrivals, there has been “insufficient preparation to provide for vulnerable adults and children”, he said.
Mr Taylor said he expected “significant improvements” at a new centre being put in place at the disused Manston airfield in Ramsgate, London.
More than 14,000 migrants have made the crossing so far this year from France, crossing busy shipping lanes in small boats, provisional UK government figures show.
In his annual report, Mr Taylor predicted a “flood” of resignations by prison officers in some jails, and that staff recruitment is “perhaps the biggest challenge facing the prison service”.
The problem had been exacerbated by the “employment of unsuitable candidates who left the service within the first year of taking up the job”, he said.
The watchdog also found young men were being left to lead “long lives of criminality” because of a lack of training and education while behind bars.
Some inmates were still spending 23 hours a day or more locked in their cells despite Covid-19 restrictions being lifted this year.
Others are left to watch daytime TV or sleep instead of taking part in classes and activities.
Mr Taylor said there was “no reason why” prisons could not return to pre-pandemic regimes now restrictions have been lifted.
The government said it had made “significant improvements” in the way it dealt with migrant arrivals and was “adhering to our statutory duties in all aspects”.
The temporary Tug Haven centre closed in January and now there is a system for processing arrivals, going through initial checks at Western Jet Foil in Dover, then on to Manston for “further processing where appropriate”.
“The facilities allow arrivals to be held in a safe and secure environment, where any safeguarding and vulnerability issues can be dealt with,” a spokesman said.
The government also insisted it was “making progress to rehabilitate prisoners. Fifty per cent more offenders are finding work shortly after release than a year ago, reducing reoffending and making our streets safer”.
About 4,000 more prison staff have been hired in the past four years and there are plans to increase the number in prisons by 5,000 by the mid-2020s, a spokesman said.
Bareilly Ki Barfi
Directed by: Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring: Kriti Sanon, Ayushmann Khurrana, Rajkummar Rao
Three and a half stars
Company profile
Name: Dukkantek
Started: January 2021
Founders: Sanad Yaghi, Ali Al Sayegh and Shadi Joulani
Based: UAE
Number of employees: 140
Sector: B2B Vertical SaaS(software as a service)
Investment: $5.2 million
Funding stage: Seed round
Investors: Global Founders Capital, Colle Capital Partners, Wamda Capital, Plug and Play, Comma Capital, Nowais Capital, Annex Investments and AMK Investment Office
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
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Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
About Proto21
Date started: May 2018
Founder: Pir Arkam
Based: Dubai
Sector: Additive manufacturing (aka, 3D printing)
Staff: 18
Funding: Invested, supported and partnered by Joseph Group
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Need to know
The flights: Flydubai flies from Dubai to Kilimanjaro airport via Dar es Salaam from Dh1,619 return including taxes. The trip takes 8 hours.
The trek: Make sure that whatever tour company you select to climb Kilimanjaro, that it is a reputable one. The way to climb successfully would be with experienced guides and porters, from a company committed to quality, safety and an ethical approach to the mountain and its staff. Sonia Nazareth booked a VIP package through Safari Africa. The tour works out to $4,775 (Dh17,538) per person, based on a 4-person booking scheme, for 9 nights on the mountain (including one night before and after the trek at Arusha). The price includes all meals, a head guide, an assistant guide for every 2 trekkers, porters to carry the luggage, a cook and kitchen staff, a dining and mess tent, a sleeping tent set up for 2 persons, a chemical toilet and park entrance fees. The tiny ration of heated water provided for our bath in our makeshift private bathroom stall was the greatest luxury. A standard package, also based on a 4-person booking, works out to $3,050 (Dh11,202) per person.
When to go: You can climb Kili at any time of year, but the best months to ascend are January-February and September-October. Also good are July and August, if you’re tolerant of the colder weather that winter brings.
Do not underestimate the importance of kit. Even if you’re travelling at a relatively pleasant time, be geared up for the cold and the rain.
Keep it fun and engaging
Stuart Ritchie, director of wealth advice at AES International, says children cannot learn something overnight, so it helps to have a fun routine that keeps them engaged and interested.
“I explain to my daughter that the money I draw from an ATM or the money on my bank card doesn’t just magically appear – it’s money I have earned from my job. I show her how this works by giving her little chores around the house so she can earn pocket money,” says Mr Ritchie.
His daughter is allowed to spend half of her pocket money, while the other half goes into a bank account. When this money hits a certain milestone, Mr Ritchie rewards his daughter with a small lump sum.
He also recommends books that teach the importance of money management for children, such as The Squirrel Manifesto by Ric Edelman and Jean Edelman.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
