Calls for West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster to resign after delay in action against Chief Constable
Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster has been called to resign by members of a campaign group
Steven Silverman from the Campaign Against Antisemitism said there was an institutional problem from within the West Midlands Police force after chief constable Craig Guildford retired on Friday after criticism of the decision to ban Israeli fans from a Europa League football match against Aston Villa in November.
Mr Silverman said: "The police and crime commissioner prevaricated, procrastinated, and refused to get rid of Mr Guildford when it was quite clear that that was the only route possible,"
"It seemsthere is an institutional problem within the force that is not just about the chief constable.
"Clearly, with regard to the Maccabi Tel Aviv episode, it can't just have been Craig Guilford who had his fingers in this squalid mess, there must have been others in his leadership team who were equally culpable.
"Now with the latest revelations, it looks like there's a problem within the force from top to bottom,.
Mr Foster, who had the power to dismiss the chief constable, welcomed the police chief's decision to retire on Friday.
He said Guildford had "acted with honour and in the best interests of West Midlands Police".
A preliminary review by the policing watchdog found "confirmation bias" influenced the decision to bar supporters of Maccabi Tel Aviv from attending Villa Park.
Following this, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she had lost confidence in the chief constable.
His Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary Sir Andy Cooke said several "inaccuracies" had been included in a report by West Midlands Police, including reference to a non-existent fixture between Maccabi Tel Aviv and West Ham.
