A whistleblower told the PCS trade union, which has criticised the practice: “Whoever made the most arrests in a month would get cake and possibly a box of Roses. This would be shared by the team.

“Their photograph would be stuck up on the wall, rather like an employee of the month.”

However, the Home Office has denied the existence of any “internal competitions” on arrests, The Independent reports.

A spokesperson told the newspaper: “The Home Secretary has been clear, he does not intend to set targets for enforced removals or arrests, and there are no targets in the current year.”