Labour Police Boss “A Disgrace” for Letting Maccabi Chief Constable Retire
Labour Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster is under fire for allowing the Chief Constable behind the Israeli football fan ban to retire instead of sacking him. The Telegraph has the story.
Simon Foster, the Labour Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for the West Midlands, claimed Craig Guildford had “acted with honour” by retiring on Friday afternoon.
Following his announcement, Guildford said the “political and media frenzy” around his position had become “detrimental” to West Midlands Police.
He had refused to resign despite mounting pressure over the force’s role in the decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters from a Europa League game at Villa Park in Birmingham in November.
Under his leadership, the force was found to have made misleading public statements about the fans of the Israeli club and failed to engage with the Jewish community.
Shabana Mahmood, the Home Secretary, declared that she had lost confidence in Guildford’s leadership as a result but could not sack him because that power lay with the local PCC – Foster, a Corbynite who once ran a local branch of Momentum.
Foster refused to do so, and said on Friday that he was “pleased” with the outcome, fuelling calls for his own resignation.
Gideon Falter, the Chief Executive of Campaign Against Antisemitism, said weak and indecisive handling of the situation by Foster meant he should quit.
“The disgraceful conduct of Mr Guildford and Mr Foster shows who really rules the roost in local affairs in Birmingham,” he said. “Focus must also turn to the Islamists who browbeat the police into carrying out their wishes to ban Jews, and the police and crime commissioner who has not lifted a finger to stop it.”
Wendy Morton, the Conservative MP for Aldridge-Brownhills, said: “Whilst welcoming this decision, not least of all because the Chief Constable had lost the confidence of residents across the West Midlands, I am dismayed that the Labour West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner has been slow to respond and once again ducked his responsibilities.
“The Police and Crime Commissioner has shown no leadership in this matter and he should also be leaving at 5pm this afternoon out of respect to all the residents of the West Midlands.”
Robert Alden, the leader of the Birmingham Conservatives, said: “Yet again, the Labour Police and Crime Commissioner has shown how weak he is.
“If the Chief Constable was responsible for the disgraceful banning of Jewish fans and the cover-up of intelligence relating to armed gangs in our city intent on hunting down and hurting people, then he should have been fired.”
Worth reading in full.
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He should be sacked.
Oh, hold on:
(link added)
I guess he’s not in the least bothered about the possibility of being sacked.
Although the Tories’ PCC solution was seriously defective it could have improved accountability. Unfortunately the elected PCCs were all too keen to follow Home Office and College of Policing etc guidance (aka instructions) and they did nothing to improve accountability. This was foreseen as a probability.
Just getting rid of them is not the answer. Labour seems too keen to cancel elections it knows it will lose, and Tories and LibDems too.
To add the duties of PCC to a County Mayor (which I understand is the idea) will not be sufficient. These mayors will be remote and aloof, ineffective and political jobs for boys if the Uniparty win any of them.
Agreed 100%
I should have read before posting to SoR , this is even worse , The Mayors are another bunch of noses in the taxpayers Trough !
Only in as much as the Golden parachute and chunky pension matter.
Good News , ( if it gets implemented) I was just about to say what a total waste of space these so called crime commissioners are and always have been !!
He “acted in honour” to save his substantial pension.
He has been made a scapegoat.
They were banned for verifiable reasons.
The Jew lobby are highlighting just one or two minor inconsistencies when the main evidence shows categorically that Maccabi Tel Aviv fans are notorious football hooligans and racist thugs.
It was the correct decision to ban their violent fans.
Just recently an Arab-owned car wash in Tel Aviv was attacked by fans of the Maccabi Tel Aviv football club, who were reportedly chanting “Death to Arabs”.
The incident occurred in Tel Aviv on the evening of January 14, 2026.
Fans of the Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer team were filmed running through the streets and attacking a business as well as bystanders.
The fans were reportedly chanting “Death to Arabs” and vandalizing property.
“Hahaha”, and repeat. ad infinitum, ad nauseum.
Thanks for sharing you ignorance given that there was NO BAN.
Has anyone hear ever heard of an employment contract that allows retirement from a senior role without a notice period?
Guildford is gone, which is good, but WMP is still run by crooks for crooks. There’s a long way to go.
This fake ban case has exposed far more than WMP being in thrall to the muslims and lead by a total liar. It is a shame that the PCC did not stick to his guns and follow due procedure and discuss Guildford’s future at the scheduled meeting. What this case of the fake ban needs is a full investigation of EVERY party involved in the process of football stadium safety from the SAG and its members which includes WMP, and the relevant officers and Chief Executive of Birmingham City Council given it is BCC, and ONLY BCC that could have issued a ban on fans at Villa Park. Case law going back to the 1800s involving the Salvation Army and opponents to them ruled that it is not legal to ban a group from the streets if somebody is likely to assault them which means WMP could not ban Maccabi fans if the muslim scum were intent on attacking them. The ban would have to be the other way around but of course from the River To The Sea, we all know how works.
Gideon Faster is absolutely right and Simon Foster is absolutely wrong. Birmingham is a mess, I wonder why.