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Wilson Security Have Pulled out of Nauru and Manus Island

"Provision of security services at Regional Processing Centres is not in line with Wilson Security's long term strategic priorities."

Under the weight of extensive media coverage of the alleged abuses taking place at Australia's offshore detention centres on Nauru and Manus island, the security firm in charge of managing the two camps has announced it will not renew its contract with the government. Wilson Security will sever ties with both centres in October.

The exit announcement follows that of the other major contractor in charge of managing the centres, Broadspectrum, which will be concluding its services at the same time.

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"In line with Broadspectrum's future intentions Wilson Security can now confirm that it will also not tender for any further offshore detention services," Wilson Security said in a statement.

The security company plays a central role in providing 24-hour security services inside both the Nauru and Manus Island detention centres. Part of its obligation, in the company's own words, is to "create an environment in which asylum seekers feel safe."

Wilson Security's statement did not provide much detail as to the reasoning behind its decision, saying only that the "provision of security services at Regional Processing Centres is not in line with Wilson Security's long term strategic priorities."

There is speculation; however, that the Australian company, which has been operating for over 50 years, may not be comfortable with the continued allegations that the human rights of refugees living inside Australia's offshore processing centres are being violated.

Last year, a Manus Island detainee told VICE that "I wish I was drowned and not to be in this misery. Honestly drowning is much better." In April, Papua New Guinea's Supreme Court ruled the Manus Island detention centre illegal.

On August 2, a landmark report was released by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch documenting the conditions asylum seekers detained on Nauru are living in. Working undercover on the island, human rights representatives secretly documented widespread "abuse, inhumane treatment, and neglect" inside Australia's controversial offshore detention centre.

Later that month, in the largest ever leak from Australia's Department of Immigration and Border Protection, more than 2,000 incident reports were secured from inside the Nauru detention centre. The files, obtained by The Guardian, lay out in stark detail the scale of abuse within the camp.

On Thursday, it was revealed that an 88-year-old former judge had asked Peter Dutton to let him swap with a refugee on either Nauru or Manus Island and thereby allow them to escape the horrific conditions there.

Despite these incidents, there were no apparent regrets—in their statement, Wilson Security also said that it had "carried out its contractual obligations to the best of its ability" and that it "takes pride in its performance." Follow Kat on Twitter