West Midlands Police has temporarily halted the deployment of Microsoft Copilot across the organization after the artificial intelligence tool played a role in a major operational misstep that contributed to the abrupt early exit of the previous chief constable.
The controversy originated from intelligence assessments prepared ahead of a Europa League fixture between Aston Villa and Maccabi Tel Aviv held in Birmingham during November of the previous year.
Officers drew on Copilot generated content that referenced a fictional clash involving West Ham United from London which never actually took place leading to flawed risk evaluations about potential crowd trouble from visiting supporters.
During testimony before a parliamentary committee on January 6 the former leader Craig Guildford initially denied any reliance on artificial intelligence for sourcing that inaccurate information. He later submitted a corrective letter admitting the tool had indeed been consulted in the process.
Intense scrutiny from the Home Secretary along with additional public and political pressure prompted Guildford to step down at the relatively young age of fifty two.
The local police and crime commissioner Simon Foster revealed that dismissal proceedings against Guildford were already underway before the retirement announcement occurred.
At a recent open session held on January 27 acting Chief Constable Scott Green addressed the matter while joined by Commissioner Foster. Green explained that full specifics surrounding Copilot’s application remain restricted due to active inquiries by both the Independent Office for Police Conduct and the force’s own professional standards unit.
Green emphasized his swift action upon assuming the interim role by immediately disabling access to Microsoft Copilot throughout the entire police service.
He affirmed that artificial intelligence holds clear future value for policing including the eventual return of Copilot usage but only after thorough resolution of the current incident and the establishment of robust overarching policies and protocols.
In comments provided directly to The Register Commissioner Foster underscored the valuable contributions artificial intelligence can offer to law enforcement efforts such as boosting efficiency enhancing crime solving capabilities and addressing new types of risks.
He stressed however that deployment must always remain grounded in ethical principles legal compliance openness and solid factual foundations to preserve community confidence.
Foster went on to highlight the significant issues that emerged specifically from West Midlands Police’s employment of Microsoft Copilot during preparations for policing the Aston Villa versus Maccabi Tel Aviv encounter back in November 2025.
He insisted on an urgent suspension of the technology while the force urgently sorts out essential questions around governance supervision and regulatory frameworks.
The same public discussion also featured Foster pressing Green on deficiencies in documenting interactions with Dutch counterparts as well as evidence of confirmation bias influencing the threat analysis concerning Maccabi Tel Aviv followers.
Green offered an apology for the department’s shortcomings calling the lapses severely critical. He outlined ongoing measures to restore faith among Jewish groups including rigorous pursuit of every reported antisemitic incident and mandatory training programs focused on antisemitism awareness for personnel.
Government officials released a white paper this week detailing ambitious expansions in artificial intelligence adoption within policing circles.
Plans include allocating one hundred fifteen million pounds across the coming three years to launch a dedicated National Centre for AI in Policing dubbed Police dot AI with an initial emphasis on streamlining routine administrative tasks.
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