One of the errors which appeared to have led to the decision to ban the Maccabi fans relates to the police use of AI.

The force's report, drawn up ahead of the decision, referenced a non-existent fixture between Maccabi Tel Aviv and West Ham, a detail it emerged which was thrown up by the use of AI during evidence-gathering.

In a letter to the Home Affairs Committee, published earlier this month, the former Chief Constable, Craig Guildford, said it was the result of using the AI tool, Microsoft Copilot.

Acting Deputy Chief Constable Jennifer Mattinson confirmed today that West Midlands Police is carrying out a review of its use of AI and the Acting Chief Constable has blocked access for staff to Microsoft Copilot until further notice.

Scott Green has reassured the meeting he will look at the Maccabi decision with "fresh perspective and fresh eyes".

He said neither he nor his acting deputy were involved in the decision.

Phil Mackie

The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster has told a public meeting that the force must rebuild trust and confidence and "confront the shortcomings laid bare" in recent weeks over the controversial decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending their Europa League game against Aston Villa last November.

In his opening statement, the force's Acting Chief Constable, Scott Green, acknowledged the force had lost public confidence over the affair.

West Midlands Police's Acting Chief Constable, Scott Green, is now speaking at the meeting.

He started by repeating a previous statement in which he apologised for the harm that had been done to community relations.

He said the force would work to restore lost confidence and that he saw it as a "critical incident" for the force.

Simon Foster has just told the meeting the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is looking into the conduct of officers involved in the Maccabi decision.

The watchdog will decide if misconduct had taken place.

He said his job was also to hold the police force to account and that was the "primary purpose" of today's meeting.

However, because that IOPC investigation is taking place, he said today's witnesses might not be able to answer some questions, because it could prejudice the IOPC investigation.

The meeting has been opened by the Police and Crime Commissioner, Simon Foster, who says he acknowledges the strength of feeling over the Maccabi decision.

He also noted today is Holocaust Memorial Day.

Today, the Police and Crime Commissioner for the West Midlands, Simon Foster, will discuss the decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from the Aston Villa match.

His accountability and governance board will set out the timeline of events leading up to that decision and how the decision came to be made.

Documents released ahead of the meeting suggest the force accepts mistakes were made and that lessons should be learnt.

The meeting is due to start at 10:00 GMT and, within that, the discussion of the policing operation for the match is the first item on the agenda and is due to finish by 13:00, but it may overrun.

Fans of Israeli football club Maccabi Tel Aviv were banned from attending their Europa League match against Aston Villa at Villa Park, which took place on 6 November.

That decision was taken by Birmingham's Safety Advisory Group, (SAG), led by West Midlands Police and Birmingham City Council, which deemed the match "high risk" because of unrest during previous Maccabi matches.

However, the report to SAG referenced a non-existent fixture between Maccabi and West Ham, a detail thrown up by the use of AI during evidence-gathering.

In documents released ahead of today's meeting, the force also accepted "that there should have been contact made with police forces in other countries which had previously hosted matches" involving Maccabi Tel Aviv fans.

Image source, Getty Images

Regardless of any decisions today, you could argue the biggest impact of this saga has been the retirement of the West Midlands' Chief Constable, Craig Guildford.

He was facing facing numerous calls to resign and took the decision to step down after apologising for providing incorrect evidence to MPs.

That included the denial that AI was used in a report which led to the decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from the game on 6 November.

Earlier this month, both Downing Street and the home secretary said they had lost confidence in his leadership.

But announcing his retirement, Guildford did not offer an apology and blamed what he described as the "political and media frenzy" for his decision to step down.

"I have carefully considered my position and concluded that retirement is in the best interests of the organisation, myself and my family," he said.

Image source, West Midlands Police

We are going to be bringing you live coverage of a police meeting discussing the flawed decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from a match against Aston Villa last November.

That decision has already led to the retirement of the West Midlands Police Chief Constable, Craig Guildford.

Today's meeting is expected to examine the decision-making process and look at the mistakes made.