The former chief constable of West Midlands Police is now under formal investigation by the police watchdog, following a controversial decision to ban Israeli football fans from a match that was partly justified using fabricated intelligence from an artificial intelligence tool.
AI "Hallucination" Justifies Controversial Ban
Craig Guildford, who announced his retirement last Friday, will be investigated by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). The probe centres on the decision to prevent supporters of Maccabi Tel Aviv from attending a Europa League match against Aston Villa at Villa Park in Birmingham last November.
The local Safety Advisory Group implemented the ban based on safety concerns raised by West Midlands Police. A subsequent review revealed a critical error: part of the intelligence justifying the ban referenced a non-existent match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and West Ham United. This false information was an "AI hallucination" produced by the Microsoft Copilot tool.
Mr Guildford had previously denied to MPs that AI was used in the decision-making process, but later sent a letter of apology for unintentionally misleading them.
Further Intelligence Failures Uncovered
The force faced additional criticism for other intelligence inaccuracies presented to the advisory group. One assessment claimed Maccabi fans had intentionally targeted Muslim communities in Amsterdam during a match with Ajax. Dutch police authorities directly contradicted this claim.
Further assertions that the Israeli club's supporters had thrown "innocent members of the public into the river" were also not endorsed by Dutch officials, undermining the credibility of the intelligence report.
Apologies and a Damaged Relationship
The fallout from the incident has been severe. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood stated she had lost confidence in Mr Guildford. Following the chief constable's retirement announcement, Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster initially said he had "acted with honour."
However, the force has now referred the matter to the IOPC, with the commissioner calling the situation "unacceptable" and damaging to public trust. Scott Green, the Acting Chief Constable, issued a "full and sincere apology" on behalf of WMP for its "damning" failures.
He acknowledged the force had been "too defensive" and that its actions had harmed its relationship with the Jewish community. IOPC Director General Rachel Watson confirmed the investigation, stating there were "many unanswered questions" and that an independent probe was essential for accountability.
The IOPC investigation will examine the briefings and intelligence report provided to the Safety Advisory Group, which formed the basis for the supporter ban.
