Watch Richard Tice despair on GB News after what he referred to as “appalling” West Midlands Police chief was allowed to retire from his post.
For several weeks, Craig Guildford has been subject of a fiery blaze of controversy after Israeli fans were banned from attending a match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Aston Villa in Birmingham last November.
The outgoing chief was widely criticised for the decision, particularly after it emerged the force was discovered to have deployed “exaggerated and untrue” intelligence to justify the ban.
After serving for 32 years as an officer, Mr Guildford will still be entitled to his full pension upon his retirement.
Fuming on GB News, Mr Tice ripped into the decision to allow the police constable to retire, claiming he was “kowtowing to Islamist thugs”.
He blasted: “I’m not thanking him for his disgraceful antisemitic service, kowtowing to Islamist thugs. And doesn’t this tell you everything that is wrong with Britain?
“That someone who has been so appalling in their judgement, who has led a police force that has lied to parliamentarian, lied to the British people.
“Instead of being held accountable and responsible and paying a price so that everybody understands that is the price of accountability.
Richard refused to pull any punches as he ripped into the move live on air
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GB NEWS
“No, let this little weasel-y cop-out by the police and crime commissioner to let him retire with all good grace.
“What that means is that other leaders in serious positions of responsibility, such as other chief constables, think that they can behave in an equally appalling way and they can always just disappear off into retirement if they get found out for lying and misleading parliamentarians and the British people.
“It’s a disgrace.”
He added: “It basically says to the Jewish community, who I know was so, so upset and so frankly terrified by the implications of this appalling decision that the leaders of our police forces would rather kowtow to Islamist thugs than to protect the Jewish community.
LATEST ON THE MACCABI FAN BAN ROW:
West Midlands Police Chief Constable Craig Guildford will retire from his post
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PA“And worst of all, this police chief, he basically blamed Jewish fans, as I said in Parliament just a few days ago. And now he’s allowed to disappear into the sunset with a nice retirement package.
“It’s everything that’s wrong with broken Britain in our public services. People who leave the public sector.”
GB News star Martin Daubney pointed out Mr Guildford will not face any disciplinary action, and “could well resurface in a year or two years’ time in another police force”.
Such a claim that Mr Guildford “will never face the music” fuelled Mr Tice’s rage further, who added: “That is the whole point about this dreadful, weasel-y cop out.
“It stinks. It smells. And you know what? Fish rots from the head. This is a rotten deal with a rotten chief constable and a rotten police and crime commissioner that has done some cosy, dirty, smelly deal with this man.”
Meanwhile, Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp hit out at the decision to let the ex-officer retire and urged the man face misconduct proceedings.
He raged: “Allowing Islamists to force the banning of Maccabi Tel Aviv fans and then fabricating evidence to pretend the ban was because of the Maccabi fans own behaviour was disgraceful.
“Craig Guildford should have been fired by the Labour Police and Crime Commissioner – but he was too weak to act. Craig Guildford’s move to retire is simply not good enough.
“He should now face gross misconduct proceedings through an IOPC investigation – which can continue even after retirement or resignation. I will now be writing to the IOPC to call for this.”