Riot police from the Met police supported by other emergency services partners have all been scrambled to the Harmondsworth detention centre near Heathrow just after 3am on Saturday 5th November 2022 following a major disturbance involving 100 plus detainees.

Fire officers from various London fire stations along with TSG and armed officers were scrambled to the centre following reports that many had armed themselves with knives and lumps of wood. Power and water to the effect areas had failed and a specialist engineer has been called  to fix the issue.nd  Staff have been removed from the area after they were threatened with violence.  It follows a number of fires that had been set throughout Friday evening that staff at the centre dealt with.

It is understood that the large group have managed to break out of the detention centre and gained access to the courtyard.  The National Police air support helicopter from  Essex has also been called to feed live images to Police bosses who are said to be working with the staff at the centre to restore order.

The Territorial Support Group is a unit comprised of several hundred, highly trained officers available to deploy  24 hours a day to a variety of high-risk incidents. They are the highest-trained public order officers and are used at the forefront of spontaneous disorder and large-scale public events. They are also trained in building entry and searches, containing disorder in prisons, and are on standby for major or critical incidents and chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear events. A number of them have also authorised firearms officers.’ a number of vans remain in the centre and on the outskirts. It is unclear if anyone has been injured of what damage has been caused.

The Home office and the Met Police have been approached for comment on the ongoing incident.

  An update from the Home office: A Home Office spokesperson said: 

“There has been a power outage at Harmondsworth immigration removal centre, and work is currently underway to resolve this issue’

The welfare and safety of staff and individuals detained at Harmondsworth is our key priority.”

Further statement form the Home Office:

A Home Office spokesperson said: 

We are aware of a disturbance at the centre and the appropriate authorities have been notified and are on scene.”