The Monitoring Board for Detained Persons’ annual report has laid bare the major concerns raised by Safi Detention Centre detainees, with dissatisfaction about food and water topping the list by a mile.

“Complaints regarding food and water far outnumbered complaints on any other issue. Board members were at times shown small aluminium containers containing ravioli or pasta in red sauce which had been thrown away unopened due to it being inedible,” they said in their report. 

The Board highlighted the issue in a letter to Home Affairs Minister Michael Farrugia in August 2017 with a recommendation that, considering the meals were being procured through public funds, the caterer’s compliance with the terms and conditions of its contract be audited.

This led to a meeting between the minister, detention centre, and the contractor which resulted in a menu change in late December 2017. Following the change in menu, there were no complaints about the food or its quality for a period of time. 

There’s no alarm system

Detainees also complained about a lack of an alarm or communication system in the detention centre, an issue that had been brought up in previous annual reports as well.

“To date, the only way in which detained persons and members of the board visiting the centre can alert the detention personnel on duty is by shouting and banging on the iron doors,” they said.

They also recommended some form of separators to be installed between beds to give detainees some privacy. It was noted that many detainees took matters into their own hands and hung a blanket in between the beds, giving the place a downtrodden look. 

A need for special training

It was recommended that there be continuous and comprehensive training of staff at the Centre. The board advised using low activity periods to train staff in some areas including: basic communication skills, security and health issues, and training in disciplinary methods. 

“Periods of low activity should be utilised for the continuation of specialised training of the detention staff and the ongoing maintenance of facilities,” they recommended. 

2017 was considered a low activity period. 198 people from 39 countries were processed at the Safi Detention Centre in 2017, a lower number than in previous years. The largest numbers were from Serbia, Macedonia, Nigeria and Libya. 

To issue the report, the Board met with detainees either individually or in groups. On the positive side, they said they were satisfied with medical treatment, and also noted improvements in the living quarters and in the attitude of detention staff at the Safe Detention Centre

Have you ever visited Safi detention centre?

READ NEXT: Escaped Syrian Slave Rescued In A Dinghy Heading Towards Malta

Johnathan Cilia

Johnathan is an award-winning Maltese journalist interested in social justice, politics, minority issues, music and food. Follow him at @supreofficialmt on Instagram, and send him news, food and music stories at [email protected]