West Midlands Police’s top officer has mounted a robust defence of his force’s security evaluation that resulted in Israeli supporters being excluded from an upcoming European football fixture.
Chief Constable Craig Guildford firmly rejected suggestions that his officers had let anyone down through their handling of the controversial situation.
Speaking on Wednesday, Guildford stood by the risk assessment that ultimately prevented Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters from attending their club’s Europa League encounter with Aston Villa scheduled for 6 November.
The senior officer emphasised that neither Birmingham nor his police force had failed in their duties.
Chief Constable Craig Guildford has stood by the risk assessment
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PA
His comments came amid intense political backlash, with senior government figures condemning the prohibition on away supporters attending the match at Villa Park.
The Safety Advisory Group responsible for Villa Park’s safety certificates announced last week that visiting supporters would be prohibited from the match due to security concerns.
This determination followed West Midlands Police’s classification of the encounter as “high risk”.
The decision sparked immediate condemnation from the highest levels of government. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer described the ban as the “wrong decision” and pledged rapid action to reverse it.
Government officials offered to cover any additional policing costs required to enable Maccabi supporters to attend safely.
Keir Starmer was among those to criticise the decision to ban Maccabi fans
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They also requested that West Midlands Police reconsider their initial security evaluation.
The controversy intensified as politicians across the spectrum criticised what they viewed as an unacceptable restriction on visiting fans’ rights to support their team.
Guildford provided further justification for the contentious assessment, explaining that it drew upon specific intelligence gathered by his officers.
He insisted that such evaluations must be grounded in professional expertise and careful analysis of available information.
“I’ve read some of the intelligence that’s been received and the assessment that’s been made. It’s based on professional judgement,” the chief constable stated during his BBC interview.
He emphasised the importance of respecting decisions taken by security professionals, particularly when they stem from thorough threat analysis.
“Decisions have to be respected if they are made. They are made with good, grounded understanding of the threat and what the risk is,” Guildford explained.
The Aston Villa v Maccabi Tel Aviv match was classified high risk by West Midlands Police | GETTY
The police chief underscored his force’s fundamental responsibility, adding: “Our job as the police is to try and keep everyone safe.”
The Israeli club ultimately announced on Monday evening that they would refuse any ticket allocation, citing concerns about a “toxic atmosphere” surrounding the fixture that could endanger their supporters.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy addressed Parliament on Monday, stating that the security evaluation was “based in no small part on the risk posed to those fans that are attending who support Maccabi because they are Israeli, and because they are Jewish”.
She declared that the nation “should be appalled” by this situation.
Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group advised that Maccabi Tel Aviv fans should be barred from the November 6 fixture | GETTY
Reports say that the initial police assessment actually identified the possibility of Maccabi supporters initiating disorder as the primary safety concern.
PA news agency has confirmed that police officials have not disputed this characterisation of their risk evaluation.
