New WMP Chief Admits 'Incorrect' Decisions Over Villa Park Fan Ban and Vows to Rebuild Trust
The new leader of West Midlands Police has publicly acknowledged that key decisions leading to the banning of Israeli football fans from Villa Park were "incorrect," pledging to make amends and restore confidence within Birmingham communities.
Acting Chief Constable Scott Green, who assumed the top role in January, stated that the police force "could have and should have made more time listening to communities from the outset" while admitting that "some of the intelligence processes which underpinned it were not correct."
Controversial Europa League Match Ban
This admission follows the controversial decision last November to prohibit Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters from attending their Europa League match against Aston Villa due to safety concerns about potential violence.
Green confirmed that West Midlands Police accepts the findings of the Home Affairs Select Committee report, which determined that police relied on "inaccurate information and failed to do basic due diligence" regarding their intelligence assessment.
The senior officer emphasized his commitment to transparency, stating: "I've been very clear that I've accepted the findings that came from the interim updates to Parliament and the Home Secretary and the Home Affairs Select Committee."
Damning Inspectorate Findings
His Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary, Sir Andy Cooke, identified "confirmation bias" as having influenced the force's decision to ban Maccabi fans. This psychological phenomenon describes the tendency to interpret new information as confirmation of existing beliefs or theories.
The controversy led to the retirement of former Chief Constable Craig Guildford in January, following criticism of how the force handled preparations for the match and the advice provided to Birmingham's Safety Advisory Group.
The police recommendation to ban away fans from the match sparked significant political outcry, with objections raised by prominent figures including Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Operation Strive Recovery Plan
West Midlands Police has voluntarily referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct regarding this case while launching an internal review under "Operation Strive."
This comprehensive recovery plan aims to rebuild trust and confidence while ensuring all recommendations from multiple oversight bodies are properly tracked and implemented.
Green explained: "On my first day in office I took a number of important steps including issuing an immediate and unreserved apology to the communities that were affected by our decision-making. I also did an immediate voluntary referral to the Office of Police Conduct about the conduct of the force and the senior officers involved."
The Acting Chief Constable added: "The third thing that I did was launch an operation called Operation Strive, which is the force's recovery plan from this, which I am personally the gold commander for."
Rebuilding Community Relationships
In terms of restoring community trust, Green detailed his outreach efforts: "Within the first two months I've held this office I have been out and about meeting our communities affected by it. I've had a number of meetings with representatives of our Jewish communities. Last week I was at an event with our Muslim communities."
He emphasized his personal commitment to this process: "My role within this is to lead the force and ensure that I am out personally listening to communities and ensuring my senior leaders are doing the same. We will listen to and act on that feedback and challenge."
The force continues to await the final report from HMICFRS while the IOPC scopes its investigation. Green remains determined that West Midlands Police will demonstrate it "polices without fear or favour" as the organization works to implement lessons learned from this significant incident.
