Craig Guildford
Craig Guildford | |
|---|---|
| Chief Constable of West Midlands Police | |
| In office 5 December 2022 – 16 January 2026 | |
| Preceded by | David Thompson |
| Succeeded by | Scott Green (acting) |
| Chief Constable of Nottinghamshire Police | |
| In office 2017–2022 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Craig Lewis Guildford 1973 or 1974 (age 52–53) |
| Education | University of Derby |
| Occupation | Police officer |
Craig Lewis Guildford (born 1973 or 1974) is a British retired police officer who served as the chief constable of West Midlands Police between 2022 and 2026, having begun his police career as a special constable with Cheshire Constabulary.
He is a Deputy Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire and a member of the Army Reserve.[1]
Early life and education
[edit]Craig Lewis Guildford was born in 1973 or January 1974.[2]
He obtained a degree in geography at the University of Derby.[3]
Career
[edit]He joined Cheshire Constabulary as a police constable in 1994, having been a special constable there since 1992, while also a student.[4][3][5]
Guildford spent time on CID in Cheshire before being seconded to the National Crime Squad in Manchester in 2000. Guildford eventually reached the rank of Superintendent in Cheshire Constabulary. [6]
He was made assistant chief constable at West Yorkshire Police in October 2012, and deputy chief constable with Gwent Police in April 2014.[4][5]
Guildford then made the move to Nottinghamshire Police, to become their Chief Constable in February 2017.[6]
West Midlands Police
[edit]On 25 July 2022, Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster confirmed that Guildford would replace David Thompson as the Chief Constable of the West Midlands Police.[7] Guildford formally took the role on 5 December 2022.
He also served as the National Police Chiefs' Council lead officer for professional standards and ethics, and complaints and misconduct.[3]
In November 2023, an incident took place following a function at the Tally-Ho! Police Training School in Edgbaston, in which Guildford and an Inspector from His Majesty's Inspectorate of the Constabulary called 999 after their taxi driver began driving erratically, leading Guildford to believe they were being robbed.[8]
In November 2024, he retired as Chief Constable of West Midlands Police for one month in order to protect his pension, which would otherwise have fallen in value after 30 years' unbroken service, before taking up the post again. Scott Green served as Acting Chief Constable in the interim.[9]
Maccabi Tel Aviv incident and retirement
[edit]On 14 January 2026, the Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, declared in the House of Commons that she had no confidence in Guildford, following a select committee review of his force's advice to ban away fans from Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C. game against Aston Villa in Birmingham on 6 November 2025.[10] An intelligence report compiled by West Midlands Police for the local safety advisory group contained errors, including the misrepresentation of information received from Dutch police about a previous match in Amsterdam. The report also mentioned a non-existent match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and West Ham. When appearing before the House of Commons' Home Affairs Select Committee, Guildford denied suggestions that AI had been used in writing the report and said that the fictitious match had appeared in a Google search. On 14 January 2026, he apologised to the Home Affairs Select Committee for having misled them, admitting that Microsoft Copilot, an AI tool, had generated the fictitious West Ham match.[10][11] Subsequently, Mahmood said that she would have sacked Guildford if she had had the power to do so.[12]
On 16 January 2026, Foster announced Guilford's retirement "with immediate effect". Deputy Chief Constable Scott Green was appointed as Guildford's successor in an acting capacity.[13] The Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Philp, criticized the decision to allow Guildford to retire and called for him to face misconduct proceedings.[14] The following Monday, Foster referred Guildford to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.[15]
Military service
[edit]Guildford served in the Adjutant General's Corps of the Army Reserve. He was originally a member of the other ranks, reaching the rank of sergeant.[16] On 3 February 2014, he was commissioned in the British Army as a lieutenant (on probation).[16] and immediately became a captain in the Provost Branch.[17]
Honours and awards
[edit]In 2017, Guildford was appointed an Officer of the Order of Saint John (OStJ).[18] He was awarded the Queen's Police Medal for Distinguished Service (QPM) in the 2021 Birthday Honours,[19] and an honorary doctorate by the University of Derby in November that year.[5]
Personal life
[edit]Guildford is married to Fiona.[5] As of 2017, he was married with three children.[20]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Nottinghamshire's Deputy Lieutenants". Nottinghamshire Lieutenancy. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
- ↑ Dodd, Vikram (16 January 2026). "West Midlands police chief steps down after row over Maccabi Tel Aviv fans ban". The Guardian.
Guildford, 52, felt the intense row and criticism was a distraction...
- 1 2 3 "Chief Constable Craig Guildford QPM VR DL". West Midlands Police. Archived from the original on 2025-12-30. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
- 1 2 "Who is West Midlands Police chief constable Craig Guildford?". BBC News. 14 January 2026. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "Chief Constable Craig Guildford". University of Derby. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
- 1 2 "Notts Chief set to lead Force". West Midlands Police Federation. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
- ↑ Morris, Andrew (2022-07-26). "PCC confirms Craig Guildford as new Chief Constable of West Midlands Police". West Midlands Police & Crime Commissioner. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
- ↑ Guttridge, Richard (2023-11-08). "Officers respond to help top police chief from taxi driving 'erratically'". Birmingham Live. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
- ↑ Asokan, Shyamantha (26 November 2024). "Police chief's 'retire and re-join' move defended". BBC News. Retrieved 16 December 2025.
- 1 2 "Home secretary has no confidence in West Midlands police chief". BBC News. 14 January 2026. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
- ↑ Hughes, Geraint (14 January 2026). "Police chief apologises for 'erroneous' Maccabi Tel Aviv fan ban evidence for Aston Villa Europa League match, blaming AI". Sky Sports. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
- ↑ Lawson, Eleanor (25 January 2026). "Home secretary 'would have sacked' police chief". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
- ↑ "West Midlands police chief retires 'with immediate effect' following row over Maccabi fan ban". BBC News. 16 January 2026. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
- ↑ Hymas, Charles; Sigsworth, Tim; Johnston, Neil (16 January 2026). "Maccabi police chief allowed to retire instead of being sacked". The Telegraph. Retrieved 24 January 2026.
- ↑ Evans, Martin (19 January 2026). "Maccabi chief constable referred to policing watchdog". The Telegraph. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
- 1 2 "No. 61019". The London Gazette (Supplement). 14 October 2014. p. 19944.
- ↑ "No. 61025". The London Gazette (Supplement). 21 October 2014. p. 20352.
- ↑ "No. 61874". The London Gazette. 15 March 2017. p. 5738.
- ↑ "No. 63377". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 June 2021. p. B36.
- ↑ "Meet Craig Guildford, Nottinghamshire's new police chief". Chad. 3 February 2017. Retrieved 22 January 2026.