§ Mrs. RocheTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the use during deportations of(a) handcuffs, (b) arm restraints, (c) leg restraints, (d) bodybelts and (e) tape was authorised by his Department's guidelines prior to the joint Home Office/Metropolitan police review of deportations published on 12 January.
§ Mr. Charles WardleArrangements were introduced in April 1993 requiring private security firms to seek prior authority from at least inspector level of the Immigration Service for the use of handcuffs, save in unforeseen emergencies where an essential need arises on safety or security grounds. Arrangements for obtaining authority at a more senior level for the exceptional use of leg restraints, the only other form of restraint which might be used by the private sector, were introduced following the events surrounding the death of Mrs. Joy Gardner.
The Home Office issued a circular of guidance in 1992 to all chief officers of police on the appropriate use of handcuffs following arrest. This would include cases in which a person has been arrested prior to deportation. The circular was prepared in close consultation with the Association of Chief Police Officers, self defence committee.