The chief constable of West Midlands Police is fighting to keep his job after a scathing official report revealed his force used "exaggerated and untrue" intelligence to justify banning supporters of an Israeli football club from a match in Birmingham.
Home Secretary Loses Confidence in Police Chief
Craig Guildford, who leads the force, is determined to remain in his post despite Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood publicly declaring she has lost confidence in him. This marks the first time in two decades a home secretary has made such a statement about a serving police leader.
The crisis stems from the force's handling of a decision to ban fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv from attending a Europa Conference League match at Aston Villa's stadium in November. A report by Sir Andy Cooke, the chief inspector of constabulary, found multiple failures in how intelligence was gathered and presented.
Mahmood told the House of Commons that the threat from the Israeli fans was "greatly exaggerated", leaving a safety advisory group with little choice but to impose the ban. She placed ultimate responsibility squarely on the chief constable.
Damning Findings and an "AI Hallucination"
The report uncovered a series of alarming errors. Central to the police case was flawed intelligence about the behaviour of Maccabi fans at a match in Amsterdam in 2024. The Guardian revealed that Dutch police disputed several key claims attributed to them by West Midlands Police.
Among the false statements presented to the safety group was a claim that Maccabi fans threw Muslims into a river. In reality, an Israeli fan was the one thrown into the water, and British police were aware of this from official Dutch reports.
In one particularly notable mistake, the force's intelligence included reference to a Maccabi match against West Ham United that never happened. One officer reportedly described this error as "an AI hallucination".
Sir Andy Cooke concluded the misleading statements resulted from "confirmation bias" and "carelessness rather than any deliberate distortion", and not from antisemitism or political pressure related to the conflict in Gaza.
Political Fallout and Calls for Resignation
While the home secretary has demanded Guildford's resignation, she lacks the direct power to remove him. That authority rests with Simon Foster, the police and crime commissioner for the West Midlands, who has so far praised Guildford's overall performance and pledged to consider multiple reports before making a decision.
However, pressure is mounting from other quarters. The leader of Birmingham Council, the West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker, and the government's independent adviser on antisemitism, Lord Mann, have all said the chief constable's position is untenable.
Ruth Jacobs, chair of the Birmingham and West Midlands Jewish Community, stated that most of the community felt it was "the right time" for Guildford to go in light of the revelations.
The Israeli embassy has called for Maccabi Tel Aviv fans to receive an "appropriate apology" and for concrete steps to be taken to prevent a repeat. Meanwhile, Guildford is understood to believe the demands from the home secretary do not necessitate his immediate resignation and will await the commissioner's verdict.
