Craig Guildford, the former chief constable of West Midlands Police, received a £58,000 payout after resigning over his force's use of artificial intelligence to ban Israeli fans from an Aston Villa football match. The scandal-hit police chief retired earlier this year following Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood's loss of confidence in his leadership.
Force Faces Questions Over Golden Goodbye
The constabulary has been asked to provide a full justification for the payment, according to the Sun. Labour peer Lord Austin condemned the payout as “an appalling use of taxpayers’ money.” He added: “Craig Guildford should have been fired, not allowed to resign, after West Midlands Police capitulated to a bunch of racists, sectarian politicians and violent thugs and banned Jewish fans from Birmingham. That money ought to be used to pay for police on the streets of the West Midlands.”
AI-Sourced Information Used to Justify Ban
A Home Affairs Committee report found that the police force used inaccurate AI-sourced information to justify the ban and failed to consult with the Jewish community. Guildford, who earned £221,000 a year, did not apologize when he retired, instead blaming the incident on a “political and media frenzy.”
Taxpayers' Alliance Calls for Transparency
William Yarwood, campaigns director of the Taxpayers’ Alliance, said: “A £58,000 loss-of-office payout will look to many like a golden goodbye for failure at a time when confidence in policing is already on the floor. Police bosses must publish the full justification for this payment and prove taxpayers have not been forced to bankroll an establishment stitch-up.”
Guildford took over the chief constable role in 2022 and also served as the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead officer for complaints, misconduct, and professional standards and ethics.
