IOPC investigates ex-West Midlands chief constable over Israeli fan ban
Craig Guildford faces a gross misconduct probe over the barring of Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from a Villa Park match. Four others are also under investigation.
Former chief constable and four others face IOPC gross misconduct probe over Maccabi Tel Aviv fan ban
Google News IE — Crime (en) reports that the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has launched a gross misconduct investigation into Craig Guildford, the former chief constable of West Midlands Police, along with three serving officers and a staff member, over the banning of Israeli Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters from a match against Aston Villa at Villa Park on 6 November 2025.
The IOPC opened an independent investigation in January to examine the planning and preparation by West Midlands Police leading up to the fixture. Maccabi fans were barred from travelling to the game following safety concerns derived from a briefing document later found to contain eight errors.
Among those errors was an overstatement of Maccabi supporters' involvement in disorder in Amsterdam in 2024, and a reference to a non-existent match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and West Ham — a fixture reportedly generated by Microsoft Copilot. West Midlands Police subsequently acknowledged it "overstated the evidence" used to justify the ban, and indicated it had since prohibited the use of AI in operational intelligence work.
The ban prompted national and international debate. The government said it would do everything in its power to overturn it. His Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary, Sir Andy Cooke, concluded that confirmation bias had influenced the way the force reached and communicated its recommendation.
"I have several other concerns including, but not limited to, inaccurate information in written communication, a failure to engage with the local Jewish community early enough and poor record keeping and retention of important information," Sir Andy said.
The decision to impose the ban was taken by Birmingham's Safety Advisory Group (SAG), which included representatives from West Midlands Police and Birmingham City Council, among other bodies.
The IOPC said evidence indicated that Guildford "may have had oversight on an intelligence briefing document presented to the SAG that was later reported to have contained inaccuracies and misleading information". The watchdog further alleged the document "gave an imbalanced view of the risk away fans posed", and that Guildford "may have failed to ensure due diligence and the highest level of scrutiny over such an influential document".
Guildford retired from the force after both Downing Street and the home secretary said they had lost confidence in his leadership. In announcing his departure, he did not offer an apology and attributed his decision to step down to what he described as the "political and media frenzy". If gross misconduct is established at a hearing, he would likely be placed on the barred list, preventing him from working in policing in future.
A senior serving officer who played a lead role in compiling the briefing is also under investigation for allegedly failing to ensure its accuracy. The IOPC said the officer may not have accurately represented some information, potentially leaving the briefing "lacking impartiality". Investigators are also examining whether the officer "may have failed to appropriately handle sensitive intelligence" before it was shared with SAG members.
The staff member involved in researching and compiling intelligence for the game is alleged to have sourced inaccurate information through AI searches and taken no action to prevent it from being included in briefings.
Two further senior serving officers have been notified they are under investigation for potential misconduct. One is alleged to have been insufficiently diligent in overseeing the operation — including in balancing operational demands against engagement with local Jewish communities — and to have displayed a lack of impartiality toward Maccabi fans in both internal and external communications. The second officer faces scrutiny over oversight of the briefing document and an allegation of a similar lack of balance in references to Maccabi supporters.
The IOPC's dedicated investigation team has examined more than 600 pieces of evidence, including operational documents, intelligence research, minutes of meetings, and a large volume of correspondence covering emails and messages.
Derrick Campbell, the IOPC's director of engagement, said: "We have examined a wealth of material, hundreds of pieces of evidence, and believe there is an indication some people serving with the police may potentially have behaved in a manner that could justify disciplinary proceedings."
Campbell cautioned that the serving of notices did not necessarily mean disciplinary proceedings would follow, adding that all decisions would be kept under review as the investigation progressed.
West Midlands Police's temporary deputy chief constable, Jen Mattinson, said she made a voluntary referral to the IOPC on her first full day in the role regarding conduct matters by senior officers and staff. The force has previously stated that a full policing operation for the match — had 2,500 away fans attended — would have lasted four days, involved multiple forces, and cost more than £5m.
Source: Google News IE — Crime (en)