The chief constable of West Midlands Police, Craig Guildford, has resigned following a major scandal that exposed serious failings in intelligence handling, the use of unverified AI evidence, and misleading statements made to MPs and the public.
A Decision That Sparked Controversy
The controversy centred on the decision to ban away supporters of Israeli football club Maccabi Tel Aviv from attending a Europa League match against Aston Villa at Villa Park on 6 November 2025. The ban, publicly announced in mid-October, was officially taken by Birmingham City Council's Safety Advisory Group based on police advice.
From the outset, West Midlands Police was evasive about the reasoning. It was unclear whether the ban was imposed due to a threat from Maccabi fans or a threat to them in Birmingham, a city with significant pro-Palestinian activism. Chief Superintendent Tom Joyce later stated the primary driver was the "significant levels of hooliganism" of a sub-section of Maccabi fans, downplaying the threat to their safety.
Flawed Intelligence and an AI Blunder
The intelligence assessment used to justify the ban was fundamentally flawed. Dutch police disputed WMP's characterisation of fan violence in Amsterdam in 2024, contradicting claims that Maccabi supporters intentionally targeted Muslim areas.
Most damning was the inclusion in a police intelligence report of a previous Maccabi match in England against West Ham that never happened. Initially, the force claimed this came from a Google search, but this week it admitted the false information was generated, unverified, by Microsoft's Copilot AI system. It took over a month for police to apologise for this critical error.
Misleading Parliament and Eroding Trust
The scandal deepened when it emerged that senior officers misled MPs. Assistant Chief Constable Mike O'Hara told the Home Affairs select committee in December that the Jewish community in Birmingham supported the ban.
However, minutes from the Safety Advisory Group meeting showed police were aware that Jewish community groups had expressed concern the ban could be perceived as antisemitic. Chief Constable Guildford later apologised for the misleading evidence, insisting there was "never any intention to mislead."
The force's actions, including approving signs saying "Zionists not welcome" outside the stadium, were seen as neglecting Jewish community concerns at a time of heightened antisemitism, further eroding trust.
The Fallout and Resignation
The combined weight of these failures led to three formal apologies from West Midlands Police. A damning letter from the chief inspectorate to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood cited "confirmation bias" by officers to justify the ban, concluding they overstated the threat posed by Maccabi fans and underplayed the threat to them.
Craig Guildford resigned on Friday, 16 January 2026, after losing the confidence of both the government and the local council leader. While the government hopes his departure will rebuild trust, further investigation reports from MPs and police watchdogs are pending, suggesting this scandal may have deeper repercussions for one of the UK's leading police forces.
