At least four German security guards working for a private firm are being investigated over the repeated abuse of asylum seekers.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Police raided the centre and questioned guards and refugees after a local journalist received a DVD showing the abuse.<br /><br />At least two of the four guards are understood to have previous criminal records for drug abuse and violence.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />“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.<br /><br />Authorities say the rising numbers of asylum seekers in Germany has put a strain on security companies.<br /><br />Germany has seen a 50 percent increase in applications compared to a year ago, largely driven by the wars in Iraq and Syria.<br /><br />Human rights groups in Germany say they fear aggression towards asylum seekers is on the rise.
