Shabana Mahmood has expressed serious doubts about the capabilities of the chief constable at West Midlands Police.
The Home Secretary criticized a “lack of leadership” for the incorrect decision to prevent Israeli football fans from attending a match between Aston Villa and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Birmingham last November. Mahmood introduced new regulations allowing Home Secretaries to dismiss police chiefs – a power previously revoked by the former Tory government.
She revealed that a review conducted by Chief Inspector of Policing, Sir Andy Cooke, was highly critical. Consequently, she declared a loss of confidence in the chief of West Midlands Police, Craig Guildford.
Mahmood stated that West Midlands Police only sought evidence that supported their predetermined stance to ban the fans. Pressure is mounting on Guildford to resign after he acknowledged providing inaccurate information to Members of Parliament regarding the decision.
The Labour frontbencher informed MPs in the Commons that the ultimate responsibility for the force’s failure in a matter of national significance lies with the Chief Constable. Hence, she announced her lack of confidence in the Chief Constable of West Midlands Police.
According to the report, the police exaggerated the threat posed by Maccabi Tel Aviv fans while downplaying the risk faced by Israeli fans if they attended the event. Mahmood highlighted that an “AI hallucination” led to the presentation of false information to MPs by Guildford during the scrutiny of the decision.
She emphasized that Sir Andy’s conclusions were severe, indicating a lack of engagement with the Jewish community by the police before making the decision.
However, Birmingham Perry Barr MP Ayoub Khan objected to the decision, claiming that Guildford was being unfairly targeted. He argued that West Midlands Police has a history of collaboration with all communities and has not yielded to community pressure in the past.
Guildford has been under increasing pressure to step down following the ban. In a letter to Dame Karen Bradley, who heads the Home Affairs Select Committee, he admitted to providing misleading information to MPs. He attributed the mistake to Microsoft Co Pilot and clarified that the decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans was based on safety concerns advised by the police force.
Guildford previously apologized for the misinformation provided to MPs, attributing it to an incorrect Google search. He and Assistant Chief Constable Mike O’Hara admitted to providing incorrect intelligence about a West Ham match with Maccabi Tel Aviv.
The police chief, who testified before the committee twice, expressed regret for the error and assured that there was no intention to mislead.
The report by Chief Inspector of Constabulary Sir Andy Cooke highlights several errors made by West Midlands Police in collecting and handling intelligence.
The Home Office spokesperson confirmed that the Home Secretary had received the findings and would address them in the House of Commons. The power to remove Guildford rests with West Midlands police and crime commissioner Simon Foster, who intends to review the evidence on the decision-making process surrounding the ban.