Birmingham MP and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood 'would have sacked West Midlands Police Chief Constable' over Villa match fan ban if she had the power
Birmingham MP and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood admitted she would have sacked West Midlands Police Chief Craig Guildford following the backlash of the Tel Aviv fan ban at Villa Park.
The 45-year-old Member of Parliament for Ladywood was questioned on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg this morning about her proposed reforms for policing across the UK this morning (January 25).
When discussing accountability from police forces who have faced scrutiny over recent years, journalist and presenter of the BBC One programme Laura Kuenssberg asked whether she would have sacked West Midlands Police Chief Constable Craig Guildford following the 'mistakes made' leading to Israeli fans being banned from a football match at Villa Park.
The MP, who was vocal about the loss of trust in the police chief at the time of the backlash, admitted during the interview that she would have sacked him 'if she had the power to do so.'
She said: "I think the model of Police and Crime Commissioners has not worked across the country. When something goes horribly wrong with policing in this country, people look at the Home Secretary and ask, “What are you going to do about it?” At the moment, I can't do anything about it.
"I think about what happened with West Midlands Police - this is my local force - and I think its an important point because if you can't trust an operational risk assessment made by police, I think that is something costs a lot of confidence in policing in our country."
