Today, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary has provided its report to the Home Secretary regarding the West Midlands Police decision not to permit supporters of Maccabi Tel Aviv to attend a match at Aston Villa last November.
The Home Secretary has stated that she no longer has confidence in the Chief Constable, and that she will seek to reinstate the power of the Government to dismiss police chiefs. At present, the Chief Constable would have to be dismissed by Simon Foster, the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner.
The report by His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary reads: “I am of the opinion that in its written communication, WMP portrayed the level of disorder at that fixture, and the part played by Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters, as greater than it really was… Regardless of any misunderstanding about what the Dutch police said, I have concluded that WMP overstated the extent to which the disorder at that fixture was attributable to the Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters.
“All of this leads me to conclude that confirmation bias, in relation to the behaviour of the Maccabi Tel Aviv fans, played a part in the way WMP reached its preferred tactical option, and the strength with which it presented it to the SAG.”
On lack of effective local community engagement: “By the time the force did consult locally, it had already recommended to the SAG that the ticket allocation for away fans be reduced to zero.”
West Midlands Police chiefs lied about this engagement, before being found out.
On imbalance in communications: “In media interviews after the SAG decision, WMP personnel focused on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans’ behaviour as the basis for the restriction on away fans, rather than focusing on the silver commander’s and SAG’s wider concerns about public safety and protest.”
It is obvious why they chose to focus on distorted, exaggerated and fabricated claims about the conduct of Maccabi fans – because it meant avoiding having to name and confront the real threat: local Islamists.
On poor record keeping and retention: “We weren’t provided with any evidence that WMP officers had made contemporaneous notes in relation to a number of key documents. Instead, they made records a considerable time after the event to which they related.”
Hence MPs on the Home Affairs Committee deduced that evidence was fabricated after the fact to produce a politically-correct justification for the decision.
On shortcomings in the command structure, including a failure to declare a critical incident: “These shortcomings are symptomatic of a force not applying the necessary strategic oversight and not paying enough attention to important matters of detail, including at the most senior levels.”
The Chief Constable – and senior colleagues – must be sacked.
Gideon Falter, Chief Executive of Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Today, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary has provided its report to the Home Secretary regarding the West Midlands Police decision not to permit supporters of Maccabi Tel Aviv to attend a match at Aston Villa last November.
“This report confirms what we have all known: West Midlands Police chiefs victim-blamed Jews, lied repeatedly and then attempted a cover up. Their story has now unravelled and clearly the Chief Constable and – I emphasise – also other police chiefs in the force must be fired if they do not resign. This is an institutional problem, not a crisis about one man.
“As for Craig Guildford himself, he may have committed the offence of Misconduct in Public Office, and this report should be passed to the Crown Prosecution Service for expedited consideration. Since the Home Secretary cannot dismiss him, that duty now falls to Simon Foster, the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, who should delay no further.
“Furthermore, police timidity and cowardice in the face of Islamist intimidation is only half the story. Focus must now turn to the Islamists themselves: which individuals, groups and radical mosques participated in this campaign? What influence have they amassed over the local authority, safety advisory group and police? What action, if any, has the Charity Commission taken against religious organisations with charitable status hosting extremist preachers? What action if any have the police taken against those conspiring to commit violence against Jewish fans and Israeli players?
“What has happened in Birmingham is a test case for the British state. It is no exaggeration to say that what happens next could well determine the future health of British society if we do not stand up to blatant radicalism like this.”
