West Midlands Police Chief Constable Craig Guildford is resisting calls to resign after Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood declared she had lost confidence in him over his force's handling of intelligence that led to a ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans attending a match at Aston Villa in November. It is the first time in 20 years a home secretary has publicly stated such a lack of confidence in a serving police leader.
A report by Sir Andy Cooke, the chief inspector of constabulary, found that the force's intelligence assessments were 'exaggerated and untrue', leaving a safety committee with 'little or no option' but to impose the ban. The report attributed the errors to 'confirmation bias' and 'carelessness' rather than antisemitism or political pressure, but criticised the force's leadership for failing to provide strategic oversight.
Mahmood told the Commons that Guildford bore 'ultimate responsibility' for the failure, but acknowledged she lacks the power to dismiss him. She called for a change in the law to allow home secretaries to remove chief constables, a move that would be controversial given concerns about police operational independence.
The only person who can oust Guildford is Simon Foster, the West Midlands police and crime commissioner, who has so far praised Guildford's overall performance. Foster said he would consider the inspectorate's report, a forthcoming second report, and a parliamentary inquiry before deciding on any action. Guildford is expected to face a public hearing on 27 January.
A key factor in the controversy was the force's reliance on claims about a Maccabi Tel Aviv match in Amsterdam, which Dutch police later disputed. The report noted that the force wrongly blamed Maccabi fans for violence in Amsterdam, despite having contrary information. Mahmood described the engagement with Dutch police as 'one of the most disquieting elements' of the report.
Guildford maintains that the ban kept the public safe and accepts there are lessons to be learned. However, one senior policing source described him as a 'dead man walking', with the errors 'dumbfounding' investigators and officials. The situation remains unresolved as Guildford awaits Foster's decision on whether to initiate dismissal proceedings.
