Immigration escapees all criminals

Last Modified: 06 Aug 2007
Source: ITN

Twenty-six people who escaped from an immigration detention centre after a disturbance are all convicted criminals, the Home Office has confirmed.

Fourteen are still on the run and the hunt for them is continuing.

The Home Office said all of the men had served their sentences and were awaiting deportation at Campsfield House Immigration Detention Centre in Oxfordshire.

A spokeswoman said the most serious offence committed by any of the detainees was robbery.

She added: "All of the individuals are foreign national prisoners and we will be working with the police to recapture these individuals concentrating on the most serious first."

Over the weekend police caught 12 of the 26 men who fled the detention centre on Saturday after detainees started fires and broke out.

Superintendent Robin Rickard, commanding the police response, said: "Having located 12 of the escaped detainees, we are working with the Borders and Immigration Agency and GEO, who run the centre on their behalf, to establish the identities of those who are still missing and get them back into custody as soon as possible.

"We have a substantial number of resources dedicated to the task and are doing all we can to locate the detainees as quickly as possible.

"I urge members of the public to contact us immediately should they see anyone they believe could be one of those involved."

Campsfield was converted into an immigration detention centre in 1993. It holds up to 200 male asylum seekers at a time.

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