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In a tumultuous day for the chief constable of West Midlands Police, the Home Secretary has now vowed to change the law so that she – and not just Police and Crime Commissioners – has the power to sack failing chief constables.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood told the House of Commons yesterday that she had lost confidence in West Midlands Chief Constable Craig Guildford. This comes after a letter from HMI Andy Cooke where he said that the force had suffered from ‘confirmation bias’ and overplayed the risk of disruption in its decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from a match against Aston Villa in November last year.
Currently only Police and Crime Commissioners have the legal power to sack Chief Constables – a change in the law that came about when the PCC model was introduced in 2012. This means that even though the Home Secretary has said she has lost confidence in the West Midlands chief, she has no legal way of forcing him out of his job.
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) was commissioned by the Home Secretary in late November to assess the handling and communication of information and intelligence gathered by West Midlands Police in advance of the November football fixture. The preliminary findings were outlined in an 11-page letter to the Home Secretary published yesterday.
“My preliminary review found that confirmation bias influenced the way West Midlands Police reached and communicated its recommendation to reduce the ticket allocation for away fans to zero.
“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.
“This assessment forms part of our ongoing, wider inspection of police forces’ contributions to safety advisory groups.”
HMI Sir Andy Cooke.
The force responded to the letter, apologising for its actions: “We are extremely sorry for the impact these have had on individuals and their communities. We are taking immediate action to address the matters raised in these preliminary findings.”
It also came to light during a recent Home Office Select Committee hearing attended by the chief that the papers used to determine the decision about the non-attendance of fans of the Israeli team included information about the disruptive behaviour of the team’s fans at a football match that never took place. Guildford told MPs that the force did not use AI when questioned but subsequently confirmed that an AI tool had been used and apologised for the oversight, but it dogged much of the coverage throughout yesterday.
West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster said he recognised and understood “the significant strength of feeling” about this matter. He said that he had seen the HMI letter and emphasised the preliminary nature of the findings.
“It is my statutory duty to hold the Chief Constable to account for the totality of policing in the West Midlands,” he said, adding that he would wait for a meeting of a governance meeting on 27 January where he would be asking questions of the Chief Constable. In his short response to the day’s events, he added: “In consideration of these matters, it is vital that all involved act in accordance with due process and the law at all times.”
A timetable for the introduction of changes to legislation is not yet confirmed although the Home Secretary has also said that Police and Crime Commissioners will be abolished from May 2028.
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