{{Short description|Chief Constable of West Midlands Police since 2022}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = | name = Craig Guildford | honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|QPM|VR|DL|OStJ}} | image = | alt = | caption = | order = | office = Chief Constable of West Midlands Police | term_start = 5 December 2022 | term_end = 16 January 2026 | deputy = | succeeding = <!--For President-elect or equivalent--> | predecessor = David Thompson | successor = | office2 = Chief Constable of Nottinghamshire Police | term_start2 = 2017 | term_end2 = 2022 | birth_date = | birth_place = | partner = <!--For those with a domestic partner and not married--> | alma_mater = University of Derby | awards = QPM }}
'''Craig Lewis Guildford''' is a former senior British police officer, who ended his career as the chief constable of West Midlands Police between 2022 and 2026, having begun his police career as a special constable with Cheshire Constabulary.
He is a Deputy Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire and a member of the Army Reserve.<ref>{{cite web |title=Nottinghamshire’s Deputy Lieutenants |url=https://www.nottinghamshirelieutenancy.co.uk/nottinghamshires-deputy-lieutenants/ |access-date=14 January 2026 |publisher=Nottinghamshire Lieutenancy}}</ref>
== Career ==
Craig Lewis Guildford was born in 1973 or January 1974.<ref name="Dodd">{{cite news |last1=Dodd |first1=Vikram |title=West Midlands police chief steps down after row over Maccabi Tel Aviv fans ban |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jan/16/west-midlands-police-chief-craig-guildford-to-retire-after-maccabi-tel-aviv-fans-ban-row |work=The Guardian |quotation=Guildford, 52, felt the intense row and criticism was a distraction... |date=16 January 2026}}</ref>
He obtained a degree in geography at the University of Derby, then joined Cheshire Constabulary as a police constable in 1994, having been a special constable there since 1992, while also a student.<ref name="BBC-cx2gkl2xpeko">{{cite news |date=14 January 2026 |title=Who is West Midlands Police chief constable Craig Guildford? |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2gkl2xpeko |access-date=14 January 2026 |work=BBC News}}</ref><ref name="WMP">{{Cite web |title=Chief Constable Craig Guildford QPM VR DL |url=https://www.westmidlands.police.uk/police-forces/west-midlands-police/areas/about-us/about-us/our-people/chief-constable-craig-guildford/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251230203455/https://www.westmidlands.police.uk/police-forces/west-midlands-police/areas/about-us/about-us/our-people/chief-constable-craig-guildford/ |archive-date=2025-12-30 |access-date=16 January 2026|website=West Midlands Police }}</ref><ref name="UoD">{{cite web |title=Chief Constable Craig Guildford |url=https://www.derby.ac.uk/about/honorary-awards/honorands/craig-guildford/craig-guildfords-commendation.php |publisher=University of Derby |access-date=14 January 2026}}</ref>
Guildford spent time on CID in Cheshire before being seconded to the National Crime Squad in Manchester in 2000. Guildford eventually reached the rank of Superintendent in Cheshire Constabulary. <ref name="WMPF">{{Cite web |title=Notts Chief set to lead Force |url=https://polfed.org/westmids/news-and-events/2022/notts-chief-set-to-lead-force/ |access-date=16 January 2026 |website=West Midlands Police Federation }}</ref>
He was made assistant chief constable at West Yorkshire Police in October 2012, and deputy chief constable with Gwent Police in April 2014.<ref name="BBC-cx2gkl2xpeko" /><ref name="UoD" />
Guildford then made the move to Nottinghamshire Police, to become their Chief Constable in February 2017.<ref name="WMPF"/>
Serving in the Adjutant General's Corps of the Army Reserve, he was promoted in 2014 from sergeant to lieutenant<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=61019 |date=14 October 2014 |page=19944 |supp=y}}</ref> and immediately became a captain in the Provost Branch.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=61025 |date=21 October 2014 |page=20352 |supp=y}}</ref>
=== West Midlands Police === On 25 July 2022, Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster confirmed that Guildford would replace David Thompson as the Chief Constable of the West Midlands Police.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Morris |first=Andrew |date=2022-07-26 |title=PCC confirms Craig Guildford as new Chief Constable of West Midlands Police |url=https://www.westmidlands-pcc.gov.uk/pcc-confirms-craig-guildford-as-new-chief-constable-of-west-midlands-police/ |access-date=16 January 2026 |website=West Midlands Police & Crime Commissioner }}</ref> Guildford formally took the role on 5 December 2022.
He also served as the National Police Chiefs' Council lead officer for professional standards and ethics, and complaints and misconduct.<ref name="WMP" />
In November 2023, an incident took place following a function at the Tally-Ho! Police Training School in Edgbaston, in which Guildford and an Inspector from His Majesty's Inspectorate of the Constabulary called 999 after their taxi driver began driving erratically, leading Guildford to believe they were being robbed.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Guttridge |first=Richard |date=2023-11-08 |title=Officers respond to help top police chief from taxi driving 'erratically' |url=https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/black-country/officers-race-rescue-west-midlands-28065840 |access-date=16 January 2026 |website=Birmingham Live }}</ref>
In November 2024, he retired as Chief Constable of West Midlands Police for one month in order to protect his pension, which would otherwise have fallen in value after 30 years' unbroken service, before taking up the post again. Scott Green served as Acting Chief Constable in the interim.<ref>{{cite web|website=BBC News|title=Police chief's 'retire and re-join' move defended|date=26 November 2024|access-date=16 December 2025|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c75lp6xxqweo|last1=Asokan|first1=Shyamantha}}</ref>
====Maccabi Tel Aviv incident and retirement==== {{main|2025 banning of Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters from match with Aston Villa}} On 14 January 2026, the Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, declared in the House of Commons that she had no confidence in Guildford, following a select committee review of his force's advice to ban away fans from Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C. game against Aston Villa in Birmingham on 6 November 2025.<ref name="BBC-cvgn984j9d7o">{{cite news |title=Home secretary has no confidence in West Midlands police chief |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgn984j9d7o |access-date=14 January 2026 |work=BBC News |date=14 January 2026}}</ref> An intelligence report compiled by West Midlands Police for the local safety advisory group contained errors, including the misrepresentation of information received from Dutch police about a previous match in Amsterdam. The report also mentioned a non-existent match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and West Ham. When appearing before the House of Commons' Home Affairs Select Committee, Guildford denied suggestions that AI had been used in writing the report and said that the fictitious match had appeared in a Google search. On 14 January 2026, he apologised to the Home Affairs Select Committee for having misled them, admitting that Microsoft Copilot, an AI tool, had generated the fictitious West Ham match.<ref name="BBC-cvgn984j9d7o"/><ref>{{cite web|author= Hughes, Geraint|url=https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/13494110/police-chief-apologises-for-erroneous-maccabi-tel-aviv-fan-ban-evidence-for-aston-villa-europa-league-match-blaming-ai|title=Police chief apologises for 'erroneous' Maccabi Tel Aviv fan ban evidence for Aston Villa Europa League match, blaming AI|access-date = 16 January 2026|date=14 January 2026|work=Sky Sports}}</ref> Subsequently, Mahmood said that she would have sacked Guildford if she had had the power to do so.<ref>{{cite news |last=Lawson |first=Eleanor |date=25 January 2026 |title=Home secretary 'would have sacked' police chief |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4grxdvny9vo |work=BBC News |publisher=BBC |access-date=19 February 2026}}</ref>
On 16 January 2026, Foster announced Guilford's retirement "with immediate effect". Deputy Chief Constable Scott Green was appointed as Guildford's successor in an acting capacity.<ref name="BBC-cwy80p8qg89t">{{cite news |title=West Midlands police chief retires 'with immediate effect' following row over Maccabi fan ban|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cwy80p8qg89t |access-date=16 January 2026 |work=BBC News |date=16 January 2026}}</ref> The Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Philp, criticized the decision to allow Guildford to retire and called for him to face misconduct proceedings.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hymas |first1=Charles |last2=Sigsworth |first2=Tim |last3=Johnston |first3=Neil |date=16 January 2026 |title=Maccabi police chief allowed to retire instead of being sacked |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/01/16/maccabi-tel-aviv-israeli-fan-ban-craig-guildford-foster/ |work=The Telegraph |access-date=24 January 2026}}</ref> The following Monday, Foster referred Guildford to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.<ref>{{cite news |last=Evans |first=Martin |date=19 January 2026 |title=Maccabi chief constable referred to policing watchdog |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/01/19/maccabi-chief-constable-referred-to-policing-watchdog/ |work=The Telegraph |access-date=20 January 2026}}</ref>
==Honours and awards== In 2017, Guildford was appointed an Officer of the Order of Saint John (OStJ).<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=61874 |date=15 March 2017 |page=5738 }}</ref> He was awarded the Queen's Police Medal for Distinguished Service (QPM) in the 2021 Birthday Honours,<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=63377 |date=12 June 2021 |page=B36 |supp=y}}</ref> and an honorary doctorate by the University of Derby in November that year.<ref name="UoD" />
==Personal life== Guildford is married to Fiona.<ref name="UoD"/> As of 2017, he was married with three children.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!-- not stated --> |date=3 February 2017 |title=Meet Craig Guildford, Nottinghamshire's new police chief |url=https://www.chad.co.uk/news/meet-craig-guildford-nottinghamshires-new-police-chief-743313 |work=Chad |access-date=22 January 2026}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{s-start}} {{s-civ|pol}} {{s-bef|before=Susannah Fish<br><small>Acting</small>}} {{s-ttl|title=Chief Constable of Nottinghamshire Police|years=2017–2022}} {{s-aft|after=Kate Meynell}}
{{s-bef|before=Sir David Thompson}} {{s-ttl|title=Chief Constable of the West Midlands | years=2022–2026}} {{s-aft|after=Scott Green<br/><small>Acting</small>}} {{s-end}}
{{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Guildford, Craig}} Category:1970s births Category:Living people Category:Alumni of the University of Derby Category:Army Reserve (United Kingdom) Category:Chief Constables of West Midlands Police Category:Deputy lieutenants in England Category:English recipients of the Queen's Police Medal Category:Officers in Welsh police forces Category:Place of birth missing (living people) Category:West Yorkshire Police officers Category:Officers of the Order of St John