Charlie Peters has branded a Labour police and crime commissioner “pathetic and cowardly” after Simon Foster’s decision to allow the force’s chief constable to retire.
Craig Guildford faced numerous calls to resign from his £220,000 per annum post in the wake of his decision to ban Israeli fans from the Maccabi Tel Aviv game against Aston Villa in November.
In a statement, the 52-year-old said the “political and media frenzy” surrounding his role had become “detrimental” to his police force.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood welcomed his decision to stepped down and had “done the right thing” in doing so after she admitted she had lost faith in the former officer.
Still, the PCC for the West Midlands refused to fire the constable, instead opting to allow Mr Guildford to retire.
Preliminary findings of an investigation led by HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary Sir Andy Cooke revealed the forced had exaggerated the threat of the Israeli club’s fans.
The force’s previous advice had led to the council’s decision to ban Jewish fans from the fixture altogether.
Fuming at the decision, Charlie ripped into the PCC, arguing the action, or lack thereof, was both cowardly and pathetic.
Charlie said the decision was ‘pathetic and cowardly’
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He said: “This is a question for, I think, all police forces as well.
“Do we want a colonial style of policing which engages with community leaders to understand their concerns?
“Or do we just want to apply the rule of law?
“Because it seems to me that when it comes to issues that could affect Muslims, and in particular a fear about the Islamist actors within that community, the police take on essentially the fear of like they’re dealing with a domestic abuser.
Simon Foster has fallen under scrutiny after he allowed Mr Guildford to retire instead of sacking him
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“‘Oh, we can’t be too severe with them. We don’t know how they might react.’
“This is pathetic and cowardly, isn’t it?”
Discussing the three-month-long scandal, former Attorney General Sir Michael Ellis similarly blasted the decision and added the issue “goes far wider.
Sir Michael said: “Frankly, this is a disgrace to UK policing.
“What we’ve seen in this episode over the past three or four months goes far wider.
“There are many unanswered questions here, including about what pressure was put on the police locally from pro-Palestine activists, for example, or from local community leaders and others.
“There are many other questions still to answer.”
Sir Michael further argued the police, if they feared disorder, should have done “what they do in 99 per cent of other cases” and simply separate the fans.