In a damning turn of events, the disgraced former head of West Midlands Police, Craig Guildford, has been referred to the police watchdog following an official inquiry that found the force had “greatly exaggerated” intelligence to justify banning fans of the Israeli football team Maccabi Tel Aviv from attending a match against Aston Villa.
Guildford, who retired as chief constable of the second-largest police force in England on Friday, just two days after a scathing report led Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to declare she had lost confidence in him, now faces a potential misconduct investigation.
The report by Chief Inspector of Constabulary Andy Cooke attacked the force’s credibility in trying to justify the ban, stating that the threat was “greatly exaggerated” and left the safety committee that relied on the police intelligence “with little or no option” but to prohibit the Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending the Europa League game on 6 November.
West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster has now referred Guildford to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), citing the significant impact the matter has had on public confidence, particularly within certain communities.
“These matters have had a significant impact on public confidence, and the confidence of particular communities in the West Midlands. This is unacceptable,” Foster said. “The force knows that I expect them to comply with the very highest standards of conduct at all times.”
The IOPC has also been asked to review Guildford’s testimony to MPs on the Home Affairs Select Committee, where he admitted that part of a force dossier contained a reference to a Maccabi game against West Ham that never happened, and had been gathered erroneously using artificial intelligence.
Central to West Midlands Police’s defence was information from Dutch police, which the force claimed showed Maccabi fans had been perpetrators of violence during a match against Ajax in Amsterdam in November 2024. However, Dutch police disputed this, saying the cause of trouble was much more mixed, with Israeli fans and pro-Palestinian supporters provoking one another.
The IOPC has now stepped in to independently investigate whether any officers or staff members may have breached professional standards in their duties and responsibilities related to the planning for the Aston Villa match.
“We have examined a wealth of evidence relating to the force’s planning for the match at Aston Villa on November 6 last year,” the IOPC said. “As questions remain about individual roles, duties and planning for the game, we have determined an independent investigation is warranted.”
The fallout from this incident has cast a dark cloud over West Midlands Police, and the IOPC’s investigation will be closely watched as the public seeks answers and accountability for the force’s actions.