Police chief tried to gag his own officers as he faces calls to be sacked | Politics | News

Embattled police chief Craig Guildford has sensationally tried to prevent his own officers from discussing the scandal enveloping their force.

Frontline bobbies have been told it would be “inappropriate and unprofessional” to discuss the botched handling of the Aston Villa v Maccabi Tel Aviv football match.

It comes after Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she had lost confidence in the Chief Constable of West Midlands Police after fake intelligence led to Maccabi Tel Aviv fans being banned from the event.

Ms Mahmood said the force had “exaggerated” the threat posed by Israeli football fans but had underestimated the risk from local Islamist gangs ahead of the match.

The police watchdog investigation into the scandal found that intelligence was “exaggerated” in some cases and “inaccurate” in others.

And Labor Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster has refused to sack the Chief Constable who clings to power.

An email has been sent to officers detailing what to say when faced with questions about the Maccabi Tel Aviv scandal.

They were told to say: “It would be inappropriate and unprofessional to discuss the future of anyone within the organisation.

“As a serving member of WMP, my focus, along with my colleagues, is to do everything possible to keep the people of the West Midlands safe and prevent crime.”

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said it was “astonishing” that Mr Guildford was trying to remain in office.

He added: “I find this situation all the more extraordinary, having lost the confidence of one of the local MPs, the Home Secretary. [he has] He still hasn’t resigned. I find this absolutely outrageous.

“Police and crime commissioners are following due process, but the Home Secretary is not standing idly by. He is sacking police and crime commissioners. He will change the law to give himself and his successors the power to sack chief constables if they fail.

“We don’t expect perfection. We know people make mistakes, but when they make mistakes, we expect honesty and accountability. We didn’t see that in this case, and that’s why he needs to go and do the right thing.”

Mr Streeting added: “We still have plenty of time today. I hope someone will do the right thing without having to make decisions on his behalf.”

And MPs have called for Mr Guildford to be sacked.

Conservative politicians Saqib Bhatti, Wendy Morton and Mike Wood said: “The onus now falls on Labor Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster to do the right thing for the people of the West Midlands.

“The Police and Crime Commissioner chose to wait a further two weeks before making a decision rather than take decisive action. “This incident has caused serious damage to the reputation of West Midlands Police, which attracts attention from across the West Midlands and around the world.

“Staying indecisive and prolonging this for another two weeks will only do more harm.

“This failure to sack the Chief Constable demonstrates the profound weakness in the role of the Police and Crime Commissioner and a lack of commitment to maintaining public confidence in policing.

“The PCC exists to ensure accountability. In this case, that accountability has been completely eliminated.

“If he does not sack the Chief Constable, the only conclusion that can be drawn from this is that the Police and Crime Commissioner is not up to the task.

“This harrowing saga has damaged the reputation of the West Midlands and England’s second largest city. It has damaged trust in West Midlands Police and raised serious questions about the integrity and effectiveness of its leadership.”

A senior police source said: “We are all stunned. He is a dead man walking, he needs to go. There is consensus in the political and police community. He must move the box. If he doesn’t he will drag us all down.”

Home Secretary Ms Mahmood said the police monitoring report concluded police had “overestimated the threat posed by Maccabi Tel Aviv fans” while underestimating the “risk” posed by Islamist gangs in Birmingham.

Explaining her loss of confidence in the Chief Constable, Ms Mahmood told MPs: “What is clear from this report is that, on an issue of huge importance to the Jewish community in this country and to all of us, we have witnessed a failure of leadership that has damaged his reputation and eroded public confidence in West Midlands Police and the force more broadly.

“Faced with such an important game, Chief Constable Craig Guildford should have ensured a more professional and comprehensive study.

“As Sir Andy himself said: The deficiencies detailed in his report are symptomatic of a force not exercising necessary strategic oversight and paying insufficient attention to important details, including at the highest levels.

“The ultimate responsibility for the force’s failure to fulfill its duty on a matter of such national importance lies with the Chief Constable.

“That is why today I must declare that the Chief Constable of West Midlands Police no longer trusts me.

“As I understand it, it has been more than 20 years since a Home Secretary last made such a statement.

“But on the evidence given by Chief Inspector of Constabulary Sir Andy Cooke, that is now the case.”

Police watchdog Sir Andy Cooke found the West Midlands was guilty of “confirmation bias” by only looking for evidence to support requests for a ban rather than “following the evidence”.

This saw the force focus on a Netherlands match where there was violence but peaceful matches in Greece, Ukraine and Denmark did not.

False claims included links between fans and the Israel Defense Forces, targeting of Muslim communities, mass destruction of Palestinian flags, and attacks on police officers and taxi drivers.

Labor Home Secretary condemned intelligence failures.

He said: “West Midlands Police’s relationship with Dutch police is one of the most disturbing elements of Sir Andy’s report.

“The summary presented as evidence to the Security Advisory Group before the crucial meeting on 24 October was flawed.

“The allegations, including the number of police officers deployed, links between fans and the Israel Defense Forces, targeting of Muslim communities, mass destruction of Palestinian flags, and attacks on police officers and taxi drivers, were all either exaggerated or completely unfounded.”

And the Home Secretary will be given renewed powers that will allow him to sack police chiefs.

Mr Guildford admitted his forces had used artificial intelligence to find evidence of problems involving the Israeli team.

And banning fans was justified after an AI search found social media posts about violence at a fictitious match involving West Ham United on 9 November 2023.

That day West Ham were playing against Greek team Olympiacos. Meanwhile, Maccabi Tel Aviv was playing in Lublin, Poland.