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 a ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans was “exaggerated or simply untrue”.
The inquiry, ordered by Mahmood and conducted by the policing inspectorate, revealed the force made a series of errors in gathering and handling intelligence. The report cited confirmation bias, stating the force stopped being open-minded and interpreted new information as confirmation of existing beliefs.
Mahmood criticised a “failure of leadership” that “harmed the reputation and eroded public confidence in West Midlands police and policing more broadly”. She noted that due to Conservative-era law changes, she lacks the power to dismiss a chief constable, but intends to seek restoration of that power in new legislation.
Key findings included the force’s failure to sufficiently engage with the Jewish community before the ban decision. The report also highlighted misleading communications, including Guildford’s incorrect claim to a parliamentary committee that AI tools were not used to prepare intelligence reports.
West Midlands police had justified the ban by citing information from Dutch police about the behaviour of Maccabi fans during a match in Amsterdam. However, Dutch police strongly disputed several claims, including that fans had thrown people into a river, noting it was actually a Maccabi fan who ended up in the water.
Mahmood said the validation of intelligence was a cause for concern, with many claims about the number of police deployed, links to the Israeli Defense Forces, and attacks on police and taxi drivers being either exaggerated or untrue. It is the first time in two decades a home secretary has declared no confidence in a police leader.
