G4S staff accused of abusing teenagers

 

"Seven G4S staff have been accused of punching and slapping teenagers in a young offenders’ institution in south east England who were under their care. "

"The G4S employees in question, which include team leaders, two duty operation managers and training center assistants, have all been suspended."

"The allegations concerning Medway Secure Training Centre in Kent were uncovered by a BBC Panorama investigation, the findings of which are yet to be broadcast."

"The center is co-managed by G4S and the Youth Justice Board (YJB). The government has halted the placement of new young people in the facility until the claims are properly investigated."

"The staff suspected of abusing the teenagers were suspended on December 30 after Panorama wrote to G4S. Panorama’s letter outlined the abuse it said it had uncovered while filming at Medway Secure Training Centre in an undercover capacity."

"The allegations, which are believed to date from autumn 2015, include assault, verbal abuse and intimidation, and a deliberate attempted to cover-up the maltreatment. The staff are alleged to have punched one teenager in the ribcage and slapped another across the head on a number of occasions."

"It has also been claimed G4S personnel forcibly pressed on the necks of the youngsters and deployed unnecessary restraint methods, such as squeezing a teenager’s windpipe, leaving him struggling to breathe..."

"G4S defended itself on Twitter, saying it does not work alone at the training center. The security firm said both the YJB and children’s charity Barnardos are "on site and form part of its operation and oversight."

"The Howard League for Penal Reform subsequently hit back at G4S, tweeting: "This begs the question: why did it take undercover reporting from BBC Panorama to reveal the Medway allegations?"

https://www.rt.com/uk/328290-g4s-abuse-teenagers-medway/