"Photos show abuse of asylum seekers by security guards in Germany", 29 Sep 2014

Several photos and a video have surfaced, showing incidences of ill-treatment of refugees, at a centre in Burbach in the west of the country. One image shows the foot of a German security guard pressed against the neck of an Algerian asylum seeker. Police raided the centre and questioned guards and refugees after a local journalist received a DVD showing the abuse. At least two of the four guards are understood to have previous criminal records for drug abuse and violence. European Homecare, which runs the centre, is one of the biggest private companies operating centres for asylum seekers in Germany. Renate Walkenhorst, a spokesperson for the company, said they didn’t always have time to check who works for them. “Sometimes you are forced to hire people who you you’re not 100 percent sure about from the beginning, who you have to keep an eye on. That’s a fact, because we had four days to set up the Burbach shelter,” she said.