Former WMP chief constable investigated for gross misconduct over Maccabi Tel Aviv ban

Three serving officers and a staff member have also been served notice that their conduct is under investigation.

Since January, the IOPC has been looking into West Midlands Police’s role in planning and preparing for the 6 November 2025 fixture, at which Maccabi fans were prohibited from attending following safety concerns based on a force intelligence briefing later found to contain multiple inaccuracies.

The IOPC used its power to proactively call in the matter, and subsequently received a separate conduct referral concerning Mr Guildford from the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner.

Having reviewed more than 600 pieces of evidence, including operational documents, correspondence, intelligence research and witness statements, the IOPC said it had assessed there was an indication Mr Guildford, a senior officer and a staff member may have committed gross misconduct.

The central allegation against Mr Guildford is that he had oversight of the intelligence briefing presented to Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group (SAG) on 24 October, which underpinned the decision to impose the ban, and that he may have failed to ensure adequate due diligence and scrutiny over a document of such significance.

The briefing is alleged to have given an imbalanced account of the risk posed by away fans relative to risks they themselves may have faced.

A senior serving officer who led the briefing’s compilation is under investigation over its accuracy and impartiality, and whether sensitive intelligence within it was handled appropriately before reaching SAG members.

A staff member involved in researching the briefing is alleged to have sourced inaccurate information from AI searches and failed to act to keep it out of the final document — among the errors previously identified was a reference to a fixture between Maccabi Tel Aviv and West Ham that never took place.

Two further senior officers involved in planning the operation have also been notified they face investigation, over allegations including insufficient diligence in balancing operational needs against engagement with the local Jewish community, and a lack of impartiality in internal and external communications concerning Maccabi supporters.

IOPC Director of Engagement Derrick Campbell said the organisation had examined a wealth of material and believed there was an indication that some of those involved may have behaved in a manner that could justify disciplinary proceedings, though he stressed the serving of notices did not necessarily mean disciplinary action would follow.

Mr Guildford retired from the force in January, after both Downing Street and the Home Secretary said they had lost confidence in his leadership; he did not offer an apology at the time, attributing his decision to step down to what he called political and media pressure. Were gross misconduct ultimately proven against him, he would likely be placed on the police barred list, preventing future employment in policing.

Responding to the update, West Midlands Police’s Temporary Deputy Chief Constable, Jen Mattinson, said she had made a voluntary referral to the IOPC on her first full day in the role in January, ahead of the decision for the watchdog to use its own power of initiative to investigate, covering any recordable conduct matters by senior officers and staff.

She said the force recognised the ban had damaged public trust and that it had worked over the past seven months, and would continue to work, to rebuild confidence, adding that West Midlands Police would continue to cooperate fully as the IOPC investigation progresses.

The force previously acknowledged it had overstated the evidence underpinning the ban decision and had not engaged early enough with the local Jewish community, and confirmed it has since barred the use of AI in similar intelligence work.