ReutersWest Midlands Police’s chief constable defended the club’s decision to forbid Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from the match against Aston Villa as he claimed the force “hasn’t failed anybody.”
Politicians, including the prime minister, widely denounced Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group (SAG)’s decision to stop traveling fans from playing the Europa League game on November 6 on safety grounds.
Before the Israeli club said it would refuse fans’ tickets in any way due to the “toxic atmosphere,” the government promised to fund any necessary policing operations that would allow Maccabi fans to attend.
Despite receiving “good support” from the government, officers had professionally considered the risk and offered guidance, according to Mr. Guildford.
He continued, “I’ve read some of the intelligence that’s been received and the assessment that’s been made.” It is based on “professional judgment,” it says.
We never win over everyone, they say.
Mr. Guildford added that his team would “continue” to listen to and respect group decisions.
He said that if decisions are made, they must be respected.
They are created with a thorough understanding of the threat and risk. Our task as law enforcement is to ensure that everyone is safe.
Mr. Guildford refuted claims that the decision to appoint away fans had had an impact on the force’s confidence.
“We make sure we give the community confidence,” he said, “from me all the way down in the organization.”
Police in IsraelVilla have now made their ticketing policy clear for the game, stating that only supporters who have purchased tickets before this season will be able to get a ticket.
The Israeli Embassy in the UK expressed concern over the hostility and incitement that caused Maccabi to revoke their away ticket allocation.
According to a statement released on Wednesday, Birmingham City Council stated: “The Safety Advisory Group has consulted with Aston Villa Football Club based on a risk assessment that West Midlands Police provided.”
operationally independent police
Reform MP Danny Kruger said on Monday that rather than asking local authorities to “politely if they’ll change their decision,” the government should overrule the ban using the Police Act’s powers.
According to Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, the idea of operational police independence has been around for a long time.
Downing Street later claimed that the powers were ineffective and could only be used on “rare occasions.”
Nandy claimed that the risk assessment in the Aston Villa case was “based in no small part on the risk posed to those fans who are attending Maccabi Tel Aviv because they are Israeli and because they are Jewish.”
We should be appalled by that and never let it go, she continued.
Source: BBC
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