'It has been an honour': Ex-West Midlands police chief constable Craig Guildford gives statement following retirement
Craig Guildford has thanked the West Midlands for their support following his sudden retirement.
Now ex-Chief Constable of West Midlands Police, Mr Guildford, has said 'it has been an honour' as he retires from the force amid the Aston Villa V Maccabi Tel Aviv controversy.
Mr Guildford's 'immediate' retirement was revealed today at a public announcement given by West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, Simon Foster, outside of the force's headquarters at Lloyd House, Birmingham.
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The retirement comes following a period of controversy over inaccurate information leading up to the Maccabi Tel Aviv V Aston Villa match in 2025.
The inaccuracies included overstating the number of Dutch police officers deployed during a match between Tel Aviv and Ajax, claims that fans were linked to the Israeli Defence Forces and claims that Muslim communities had been intentionally targeted by the visiting fans.
Now, Mr Guildford, who has served in the position since December 2022, has said that it 'has been an honour' to serve in the role, and thanked the communities of the West Midlands for their support.
He said: " I have come to the conclusion that the political and media frenzy around myself and my position has become detrimental to all the great work undertaken by my officers and staff in serving communities across the West Midlands.
"I have carefully considered my position and concluded that retirement is in the best interests of the organisation, myself and my family.
"It has been the honour of my career serving as the Chief Constable of West Midlands Police."
Mr Guildford added that he wanted to 'recognise the outstanding level of service' offered by the force, and that the work to keep the public safe will continue.
He added: "With the force’s dedicated and hard-working workforce, together we have turned this force around.
"I therefore want to take this opportunity to recognise the outstanding level of service that this force provides to the public. I know this will continue, thanks to all of the officers, staff and volunteers who work for WMP who all strive to keep the public safe.
"I would also like to thank all of the communities of the West Midlands for your support. I will greatly miss the incredible people I have had the privilege to meet, work with and serve across the region."
