"His departure comes after an official inquiry found his force used exaggerated and untrue intelligence to justify a ban on Israeli football fans. The decision is scheduled to be officially announced at 4pm on Friday by the West Midlands police and crime commissioner, Simon Foster. The pressure on one of Britain's most senior chief constables has been intense after the basis for his force's claims about the ban unravelled and the home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said she had no confidence in him."
"He had wanted to wait until at least 27 January, when his police and crime commissioner had called a meeting where the chief constable would be publicly questioned. He has served 32 years as an officer and will retire on Friday, and be entitled to his full pension. Guildford, 52, felt the intense row and criticism was a distraction unlikely to die down or go away."
"The fallout led some of his fellow chief constables to believe he should go and that by clinging on Guildford was damaging the reputation of policing nationally and its standing with the public. Foster accepted his decision, made on Friday. Guildford had been clinging on to his job, which has a salary of more than 220,000 a year, despite criticism from the prime minister, the home secretary, other senior ministers and the leader of the Conservatives. An inquiry by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary criticised West Midlands police for its mishandling of intelligence used to justify the ban, in a report that the home secretary described as devastating. Mahmood said the blame for failings detailed in the report by the chief inspector of constabulary, Andy Cooke, and Guildford's continued insistence his force was right, meant Guildford had to go."
Craig Guildford will retire as chief constable of West Midlands police after an inquiry found his force used exaggerated and untrue intelligence to justify a ban on Israeli football fans. The retirement is scheduled to be announced by the police and crime commissioner, Simon Foster, and Guildford will receive his full pension after 32 years of service. Intense public and political pressure followed the inquiry, including loss of confidence from the home secretary. Fellow chief constables and senior ministers viewed continued tenure as damaging to policing reputation, prompting Guildford to step down earlier than planned.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]