Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has declared she has lost confidence in West Midlands Chief Constable Craig Guildford following a damning report that found intelligence used to justify banning Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from a match was exaggerated or untrue. The inquiry, ordered by Mahmood and conducted by the policing inspectorate, revealed a series of errors in how the force gathered and handled intelligence.
Mahmood stated that the force experienced a failure of leadership that harmed its reputation and eroded public confidence in West Midlands police and policing more broadly. She noted that current laws, introduced under the Conservatives, prevent her from dismissing a chief constable, as only the local police and crime commissioner has that power. She plans to introduce legislation to restore the home secretary's authority to sack chief constables.
Sir Andy Cooke, the chief inspector of constabulary, found that the force failed to adequately engage with the Jewish community before deciding to ban fans. The report did not find antisemitism motivated the force but cited confirmation bias, where the force stopped being open-minded and interpreted new information as confirmation of existing beliefs.
Mahmood highlighted misleading communications, including Guildford's claim to a select committee that AI tools were not used to prepare intelligence reports, which was later refuted by an officer who blamed an AI hallucination. The force had argued that Maccabi fans posed a threat based on information from Dutch police about violence in Amsterdam in November 2024, but Dutch police disputed key claims, including that fans threw people into a river.
The home secretary described the engagement with Dutch police as disquieting, noting that claims about police deployments, links to the Israeli Defense Forces, targeting of Muslim communities, and attacks on police and taxi drivers were exaggerated or untrue. She said the ultimate responsibility rests with the chief constable, marking the first time in two decades a home secretary has declared no confidence in a police leader.
