West Midlands police chief to retire after resisting calls to give up over Maccabi Tel Aviv followers ban row | EUROtoday

The chief constable of West Midlands Police has introduced his retirement after resisting calls to give up over his dealing with of a ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv followers attending a match in Birmingham.

It comes after a damning report discovered chief constable Craig Guildford had exaggerated proof to justify the pressure’s choice to ban Israeli followers from a Europa League fixture in opposition to Aston Villa on 6 November.

He is retiring from his position after dealing with sustained stress to give up, with residence secretary Shabana Mahmood and well being secretary Wes Streeting among the many senior figures calling on him to go.

The police and crime commissioner Simon Foster mentioned he welcomed the choice in an the announcement on Friday afternoon, saying Mr Guildford can be stepping down with instant impact within the “best interest” of the police pressure.

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Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood mentioned: “The findings of the Chief Inspector were damning. They set out a catalogue of failings that have harmed trust in West Midlands Police. By stepping down, Craig Guildford has done the right thing today.

“I would like to acknowledge his years of service. And I pay tribute to the work of the officers in West Midlands Police, who keep their community safe every day.

“Today marks a crucial first step to rebuilding trust and confidence in the force amongst all the communities they serve.”

Following information of his resignation, chief government Gideon Falter ,of the Campaign Against Antisemitism ,mentioned: “Under Craig Guildford’s leadership, West Midlands Police lied and obfuscated, victim-blaming Jews instead of taking on the Islamists.

“His retirement, after the pitiful failure of West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster to sack him, should result in the resignation of Mr Foster as well. In any case, Mr Guildford’s must not be the last departure from among the force’s leadership and obviously he cannot be replaced by another senior figure implicated in the same scandal.”

Reform UK’s head of coverage Zia Yusuf mentioned: “Craig Guildford should not be allowed to retire as West Midlands Police chief, he should be held accountable for his actions.

“He should have been dismissed following his abhorrent decision to ban fans from attending the Maccabi Tel Aviv match against Aston Villa last year.

“What emerged from Mr Guildford’s appearance before the select committee was extraordinary. He misled the public and capitulated to violent extremism. His position had already become untenable.”

Mr Guildford leaves his position after intense scrutiny over the ban, which noticed followers of the Israeli group barred from travelling to the sport at Villa Park by the native Safety Advisory Group (Sag) over security considerations based mostly on recommendation from the police pressure.

Sir Andy’s evaluate discovered eight “inaccuracies” in a report from the pressure to Birmingham’s Sag, together with a reference to a non-existent sport between Tel Aviv and West Ham, discovered to be an “AI hallucination” produced by Microsoft Copilot.

Other inaccuracies included overstating the variety of Dutch cops deployed through the match, claims followers have been linked to the Israeli Defence Forces, claims Muslim communities had been deliberately focused by Tel Aviv followers and reviews of a number of Dutch cops being injured within the dysfunction.

Shabana Mahmood informed MPs that findings by the policing watchdog into the pressure’s controversial intelligence gathering present “confirmation bias” over the choice to bar the Israeli soccer group’s followers from attending Villa Park in November.

Addressing the Commons on Wednesday, Ms Mahmood mentioned there had been “a failure of leadership” and that the report by chief inspector of constabulary Sir Andy Cooke had been “damning”, including that she had “no confidence” in him.

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Ms Mahmood additionally expressed frustration that she was not capable of sack chief constable Craig Guildford herself, an influence she mentioned was faraway from the house secretary’s remit through the coalition authorities’s reforms which launched police and crime commissioners in 2011.

The energy to sack Mr Guildford lies with PCC Simon Foster, who declined to take action on Wednesday as he awaited the end result of a parliamentary inquiry into the matter.

In his announcement, Mr Foster mentioned it was essential the matter had been resolved in a “measured and respectful manner” and that he had appointed deputy chief constable Scott Green because the appearing chief constable.

Health secretary Wes Streeting mentioned he was “absolutely shocked” that Mr Guildford remained in his put up after the evaluate, and added on Thursday morning he can be “horrified” if he’s nonetheless in put up by the top of the day.

He added his failure to resign was “a stain on his character”.

Culture secretary Lisa Nandy additionally mentioned within the Commons on Thursday that she is “astonished” Mr Guildford had not stood down but.

Lord Walney, the federal government’s former anti-extremism adviser, informed the Independent: “At last it looks like Craig Guilford has bowed to the inevitable after his conduct brought shame on policing. He could have stepped down with dignity when the mismanagement of the Maccabi Tel Aviv affair was first exposed but the way he has clung on means he will be watched closely to ensure he is out of the door as quickly as possible.

“It would be unforgivable if he tries to spin this out to get a better deal. He needs to go now so a major culture change in the force can begin.”

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