In a significant development, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has launched an investigation into West Midlands Police following the retirement of Chief Constable Craig Guildford. The probe comes after Guildford’s admission of inaccuracies in evidence provided to a House of Commons committee, including a denial that the force had used AI to research evidence related to a non-existent match between Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv and West Ham.
The IOPC’s director general, Rachel Watson, stated that the watchdog had received new information from West Midlands Police regarding the initial assessment of potential misconduct. “There are many unanswered questions, and it’s right for accountability and public confidence for us to independently investigate,” she said.
The investigation will examine the briefings and intelligence reports provided to the Safety Advisory Group (SAG), which underpinned the decision to ban supporters from attending a match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Aston Villa. The IOPC found that these reports contained inaccuracies and will seek to understand who was involved in their preparation, how information was obtained, and what checks were in place to ensure their veracity.
Furthermore, the IOPC will consider the record-keeping, or lack thereof, by individual officers, as well as the assertion in briefing documents to the SAG that local representatives of the Jewish community in Birmingham had been consulted.
The IOPC’s investigation comes after Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood stated that she had lost confidence in Guildford, leading to his retirement on Friday. West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster acknowledged that these matters have had a “significant impact on public confidence, and the confidence of particular communities in the West Midlands,” which he deemed “unacceptable.”
The Campaign Against Antisemitism has been vocal in its criticism, with its chief executive, Gideon Falter, describing the decision not to dismiss Guildford as a “pitiful failure” by Foster. The IOPC’s independent investigation aims to shed light on the events surrounding the ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans and restore public trust in the West Midlands Police force.