West Midlands Chief Constable Craig Guildford, 52, retired immediately after an independent review found his force overstated the threat from Maccabi Tel Aviv fans and displayed "confirmation bias" when advising a ban on supporters for a November 6 match in Birmingham. The watchdog identified eight inaccuracies in the police briefing, including an "AI hallucination" referencing a non-existent match. Interior minister Shabana Mahmood said she had lost confidence and backed Guildford's resignation while proposing new powers to remove failing local chiefs.
West Midlands Chief Constable Steps Down After Watchdog Finds 'Confirmation Bias' Over Maccabi Fan Ban
West Midlands Police Chief Constable Craig Guildford is retiring with 'immediate effect', his boss said (-)(-/PRU/AFP)
Craig Guildford, 52, the chief constable of West Midlands Police, retired with immediate effect on Friday amid mounting criticism of his force's decision to advise a local Safety Advisory Group (SAG) to bar Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters from travelling to a November 6 UEFA Europa League match in Birmingham.
Watchdog Finds Flaws In Intelligence
An independent review led by police chief inspector Andy Cooke concluded the force "overstated" the threat posed by Maccabi fans and displayed "confirmation bias" — seeking evidence to support a pre-determined decision rather than following evidence impartially. The review identified eight inaccuracies in the police's briefing to the SAG, including a reference to a non-existent match between Tel Aviv and West Ham that the report described as an "AI hallucination."
Apologies, Admissions And Political Fallout
Regional crime commissioner Simon Foster said the resignation was necessary because the controversy had become a "significant distraction" for policing in the West Midlands. Foster told reporters: "The Chief Constable, Craig Guildford, has today retired from West Midlands Police with immediate effect."
Interior minister Shabana Mahmood, who told Parliament she had lost confidence in Guildford, welcomed his decision and described it as the right outcome. Mahmood highlighted the watchdog's finding that the force "overstated the threat" to justify the ban and downplayed the risks to Israeli supporters who might have travelled into the area.
West Midlands Police issued an apology saying: "We are extremely sorry for the impact these have had on individuals and their communities. We know that mistakes were made, but reiterate the findings that none of this was done with an intent of deliberate distortion or discrimination."
Role Of Artificial Intelligence
Guildford originally apologised to MPs for providing erroneous information and said the error had resulted from a Google search. He later wrote to MPs acknowledging that the incorrect reference had come from Microsoft Copilot, an AI chatbot. The watchdog's report criticised the force for amplifying other misleading accounts of incidents — including an exaggerated account of clashes in Amsterdam in November 2024 — which weakened the credibility of their threat assessment.
Wider Context And Consequences
Birmingham, the UK's second-largest city, was 30% Muslim at the 2021 census and has seen several pro-Palestinian protests since the 2023 Gaza war, including demonstrations on the night of the match. The political fallout has prompted proposals from Mahmood to give the national interior minister the power to dismiss failing local chief constables — a power currently exercised by regional crime commissioners.
Implications: The case raises questions about how police intelligence is collected and reviewed, the use of AI tools in official assessments, and how forces balance public safety with the rights of travelling sports supporters.
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