West Midlands Police Chief Constable Craig Guildford has retired after a row over a decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from a match against Aston Villa on November 6.
The controversial decision to ban Maccabi fans was taken by Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group (SAG), led by West Midlands Police and Birmingham City Council, which deemed the match “high risk” due to unrest at previous Maccabi matches.
Guildford says the “political and media frenzy” around his position had become “detrimental” to the force.
Reacting to his resignation, UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood says Guildford has made the right decision.
Guildford’s decision was also welcomed by the region’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Simon Foster, who says he “acted with honour and in the best interests of West Midlands Police.”
Both the Home Secretary and Downing Street pre-empted Guildford’s decision by saying they had “lost confidence” in the outgoing police chief constable.
