VANCOUVER - The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is looking into the treatment of Chinese migrants in detention in British Columbia after complaints that some have been mistreated by police.

'We're in the process of making recommendations to the Canadian government on areas of concern.' - UNHCR

Lawyers for the migrants, detained as their ships attempted to enter Canada illegally, have accused police of roughing up some of the people, subjecting others to unnecessary strip searches and generally, tormenting them by sending attack dogs into their sleeping quarters at night.

A representative of the UNHCR looked into CFB Esquimalt. Suzanne Duff says she's satisified the migrants are being well looked after there. But she is concerned about others being held in B.C. jails.

"I was relieved at the state of the people who were there (CFB Esquimalt) by the general tone and atmosphere at the base, and I found nothing that gave me concern about the state of the people who were there," Duff told CBC News.

Duff says her agency is concerned about conditions facing many of the 300 or so migrants being held in jails until their refugee hearings.

There, several women have been separated from their children, and other migrants have been forced to mix with the general prison population.

Senior UN staff will meet with federal officals next week to discuss the concerns, Duff said.

"We're in the process of making recommendations to the Canadian government on areas of concern."

Detaining refugee claimants in B.C.'s corrections system has been common practice for decades. But never before have so many been kept behind bars at once.

Starting next week, many migrants are to be moved to a recently closed institution in Prince George. They'll still be in jail, but at least they won't be surrounded by criminals, officials say.