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Craig Guildford, the chief constable of West Midlands Police, has retired following significant criticism over the decision to ban Israeli supporters from attending a football match against Aston Villa. The announcement of his departure came after both Downing Street and the home secretary publicly expressed a lack of confidence in his leadership. Guildford’s resignation followed intense pressure stemming from his admission of providing incorrect information to Members of Parliament, specifically denying the involvement of artificial intelligence in a report that led to the exclusion of Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from the fixture on November 6.
In his retirement statement, Guildford, aged 52, chose not to apologize but cited what he termed a “political and media frenzy” as a key factor influencing his decision. Reflecting on his career, he stated, “I have carefully considered my position and concluded that retirement is in the best interests of the organisation, myself and my family,” also describing his role as chief constable as “the honour of my career.” Simon Foster, the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, welcomed the retirement, emphasizing that it avoided prolonged and disruptive procedures that could have caused distractions and additional costs for the police force and the wider region. He further underscored the importance of resolving the matter with due regard to fairness and legal process.
The controversy originated after a policing watchdog’s preliminary review identified that “confirmation bias” had influenced the decision to prohibit Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending the match at Villa Park. Sir Andy Cooke, His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary, highlighted several inaccuracies in a report submitted by West Midlands Police, including the erroneous mention of a non-existent match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and West Ham. Initially, Guildford suggested these errors were discovered through conventional internet searches or social media. However, in correspondence with the Home Affairs Committee, he later revealed the initial findings came through the use of Microsoft Copilot, an artificial intelligence tool. Sir Andy also pointed out the force exaggerated the connection between disorder at a prior match in Amsterdam and the conduct of Maccabi supporters, overstated the number of Dutch police involved, and misrepresented the level of threat posed by the Israeli fans while downplaying the risks they faced. West Midlands Police expressed regret for the mistakes, clarifying that there was no intention to deliberately distort facts or discriminate.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood acknowledged that Guildford had “done the right thing” in stepping down, describing the policing inspector’s report as “damning” and outlining a series of failures that had damaged public trust in the force. She expressed gratitude for Guildford’s years of service and commended the efforts of officers who work to keep the community safe daily. Mahmood emphasized that the retirement marked an important step toward restoring confidence in West Midlands Police among the communities they serve. Meanwhile, the Campaign Against Antisemitism called for the resignation of Simon Foster, with its chief executive, Gideon Falter, accusing the police force of misrepresenting the situation and unfairly blaming Jewish communities instead of addressing Islamist threats. The Independent Office for Police Conduct confirmed it would continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the case, with Director General Rachel Watson stating that a thorough review of available evidence was ongoing and indicating readiness to launch independent investigations if necessary.
Ayoub Khan, an independent Member of Parliament representing Birmingham Perry Barr—the constituency that includes Villa Park—described the chief constable’s retirement as a “dark and shameful chapter.” Khan, who had supported canceling or relocating the match when the ban was first announced, also urged for Guildford to remain in his position, asserting that the chief constable was “sacrificed not for gross misconduct in public office but for doing his job.” Khan reiterated in the House of Commons that Guildford had been “thrown under the bus because he didn’t conform to political pressure.” Having joined the police force as a constable in 1994, Guildford had led West Midlands Police since 2022, achieving improvements such as enhanced handling of emergency calls and achieving a 6% reduction in crime rates by October 2025. Following his retirement, deputy chief constable Scott Green has been appointed acting chief constable, with Jen Mattinson assuming the role of acting deputy chief constable as part of the force’s efforts to rebuild trust in the community
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