'I'd argue it in court': How interviewing 250 officers turned West Midlands Police inspector into UFO believer

The Wolverhampton-born officer says his years spent interviewing more than 250 serving and retired police officers about unexplained sightings have fundamentally changed his view of one of the world's most controversial subjects.

Today, he says he would be prepared to defend that conclusion in front of a jury.

"I can say based on all the research and all the information I've taken in that I have gone from being not sure, to on the fence, to the point now where I believe beyond all reasonable doubt that there is life elsewhere in the universe," he said. "The key thing is I believe that intelligent life has visited and continues to visit this planet. That is my 100 per cent belief, and I will nail my colours to that mast."

For many readers, that conclusion will be extraordinary, something the 51-year-old is well aware of. He also accepts he cannot produce the kind of physical evidence that would end the debate overnight, not that that is enough to disprove his beliefs.

"Can I prove it? No," he said. "But you can't prove that it isn't the case either."

Instead, he says his confidence comes from years spent examining testimony in the same way he would investigate any other allegation.

Every account in his book was given directly to him by the witness, with Teague travelling across Britain to interview officers face-to-face whenever possible.

"The devil is in the detail," he explained. "I always want to know exactly where people were, what the date was, the weather conditions, where they stood, what the shape of it was, the size and the speed of it.

"I'm big on getting all the information before I make my judgments."

His investigation does not stop with witness interviews. Teague says he routinely cross-checks accounts against flight radar data, weather records and astronomical applications, while working through a long checklist of conventional explanations.

"I look to try and disprove them," he said. "I've got about 50 or 60 things on a list like flares, meteors and planes, and if I can discount those maybe I've got something."

Referencing Sherlock Holmes creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, he said his approach is to eliminate every reasonable explanation before considering what remains.

"If A and B are disproven then C, no matter how ridiculous it seems, must be true," he said.

That investigative approach also explains why not every submission made it into Close Encounters of the Police Kind.

Teague says he rejected claims supported by AI-generated images, dismissed stories he considered implausible and even uncovered people falsely claiming to have served as police officers.

"I've raised my eyebrows at some stories and those ones aren't included in the book," he said. "People have lied about the roles they've claimed to have within the police and I've had AI images sent to me that I've identified."

Although his research has involved more than 250 officers, only 11 asked to remain anonymous.

The overwhelming majority were prepared to attach their names and reputations to their testimony despite the potential consequences.

"These aren't just random people, I've got sworn officers here with sightings from 1966 right up until 2025."

Teague is keen to point out that he has never personally witnessed a UFO, but for him that does not prevent him reaching a conclusion based on the evidence he believes he has gathered.

"I've never had a sighting myself, but 95 per cent of the population believe in God but have never seen God," he said. "I think there's something out there and I think most people agree with that, but the big question for most people is whether or not it's actually appeared here.

"I would get up in a court of law to argue my case. I think if I got my witnesses before a jury, I would prove beyond reasonable doubt that this planet has been visited and is still being visited by extra-terrestrial craft.

"There is no doubt in my mind."

Teague believes public opinion will continue to shift as technology improves and more people are able to record unusual aerial phenomena.

He predicts that increasing numbers of witnesses, coupled with better quality footage and growing public interest, will make the subject harder to dismiss in the years ahead.

Whether readers agree with his conclusions or remain deeply sceptical, he insists his aim is not to force anyone to accept his beliefs.

Instead, he wants people to examine the testimony and decide for themselves.

Next: The remarkable West Midlands police sightings — from silent black triangles over Wolverhampton to unexplained craft above Birmingham Airport — that feature in Inspector Teague's investigation.