Chief Constable Craig Guildford’s Reinstatement Approved

Craig Guildford, the former chief constable of West Midlands Police, is set to be reappointed to his previous position. He had stepped down on November 15 but subsequently applied to resume his former duties under the retire-and-rejoin scheme, a measure intended to safeguard his pension from diminishing in value. The West Midlands Police and Crime Panel formally approved his reappointment during a hearing held on Monday. The region’s police and crime commissioner (PCC) confirmed that Mr. Guildford will rejoin the force as chief constable on December 16, following a 31-day period of retirement. In a released statement, Mr. Guildford affirmed his unwavering dedication to achieving “sustained performance improvements” within the police force. Mr. Guildford further stated, “I’m pleased that the police and crime commissioner and the region’s Police and Crime Panel have offered me their full support and allowed me to continue to serve as your chief constable in the West Midlands.” He also expressed, “My ambition is to see West Midlands Police continue to improve at the pace it has been.” The national retire-and-rejoin program permits any officer to resign, observe a minimum one-month break, and then be reinstated at their previous rank. This reappointment of the chief constable occurs amidst claims of extensive racism and homophobia within the force, made by a former chief inspector who asserted that the force neglected to address numerous serious allegations. Khizra Bano, who is pursuing an employment tribunal against Mr. Guildford, conveyed to the BBC her feeling of being “devastated” by the reappointment, both for the public and for the police force itself. Mr. Guildford refutes all these allegations, and the force has declared that it has achieved substantial progress in “rooting out” improper behaviour, adding that it intends to defend itself against any unjust claims of discrimination. Ms. Bano informed the BBC that she personally appeared before the panel to “furnish them with information that should have prevented them making such a societally damaging decision.” Simon Foster, the West Midlands PCC, expressed his satisfaction that the panel had sanctioned Mr. Guildford’s return to the position, noting that the force had “improved in many areas” since the chief constable’s initial appointment in 2022. He stated, “West Midlands Police, whilst under the leadership of Mr Guildford, together with partners, has driven down crime by 10% in the last year. Specifically, robbery is down, burglary is down, car theft is down and youth violence is down.” Foster concluded by saying, “Mr Guildford knows I expect this progress and hard work to be maintained and I look forward to continuing to work with him.” Information from BBC Birmingham can be accessed via BBC Sounds, Facebook, X, and Instagram. Copyright for this material is held by BBC 2024, with all rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content of external sites and details its approach to external linking.