PCC praises candidates for chief constable job

Three "eminently appointable" people have applied to become the chief constable of West Midlands Police.

Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster described the candidates as "eligible, capable, knowledgeable".

The vacancy arose after the departure of Craig Guildford, who left following the controversy over Israeli football fans being banned from attending a match in Birmingham.

The deadline for applications passed on Friday and a shortlist will be drawn up this week.

The force came under fire when incorrect evidence gathered using Microsoft Copilot was used as part of a decision by Birmingham Safety Advisory Group to stop Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending a Europa League game against Aston Villa in November.

The fallout resulted in the retirement of former West Midlands Police chief constable Craig Guildford, who had admitted misleading MPs over the use of AI.

The shortlisted candidates for the job will go forward to the assessment process on 9 and 10 September.

At a West Midlands Police and Crime Panel meeting on Monday, Foster provided an update on the recruitment process.

Panel members questioned the fact there were only three applications, with the risk of only one being on the final shortlist, meaning there would be no choice during the selection process.

Foster said he did not wish to pre-judge the process, but there was "every possibility there will be three candidates on the shortlist".

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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