West Midlands Police launches anti-Jewish racism training after Maccabi fan ban scandal

West Midlands Police has delivered its first anti-Jewish racism training session, marking what senior officers describe as a “considerable step forward” in efforts to rebuild trust following last year’s controversial ban on Israeli football fans.

The force, led by Acting Chief Constable Scott Green, began the programme after three months of planning and consultation with Jewish community groups. The initiative comes in the wake of the widely criticised decision to restrict supporters of Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv, a move that led to the early retirement of the force’s former Chief Constable, Craig Guildford.

Police said the training is part of a wider programme to improve “cultural competency” across the force, which has already included sessions on Black history and will next address anti-Muslim hate.

The newly introduced module focuses on Jewish history, identity and contemporary life in Britain, including the community’s relationship with Israel. Officers, staff and volunteers will receive the training after a pilot session was delivered this week to senior leadership.

Green said the programme formed part of a wider effort to repair relations with communities following what he previously acknowledged as a damaging episode.

“When appointed as Acting Chief Constable in January, I immediately issued an apology on behalf of the force for the direct impact our actions had on trust and confidence,” he said. “Since then, I have personally led extensive work to rebuild those relationships.”

He added that engagement with Jewish stakeholders had been “integral” in shaping the training and ensuring the force better understands the communities it serves.

“It is important to highlight that we are not undergoing training about antisemitism but about what we now understand to be anti-Jewish racism,” Green said.

The force pointed to a series of recent incidents, including attacks on synagogues and rising tensions linked to international events, as underlining the need for improved awareness among officers.

The training was delivered by Carol Laser, a senior assessor at the College of Policing and a former CST Director of Security, former CEO of the National Holocaust Museum Marc Cave and Maiken Umbach, Professor of modern history at the University of Nottingham and chief academic advisor to the National Holocaust Museum.

Laser said: “I have been asked by some in the Jewish community if this is just a box-ticking exercise for the force. I would like to assure everyone that we would not be working on such a project if we did not wholeheartedly believe that West Midlands Police were not totally invested in learning from recent events and that we could not make a difference. We have been able to create a customised anti Jewish racism training product for a police audience.”

ave said: “From our initial work on this project, we see a genuine appetite to learn, repair relationships and improve social cohesion. What a pleasure to work with a police force determined to understand who British Jews actually are as people, in contrast to all the misinformation out there.”

Wednesday’s pilot session was described by participants as “insightful” and “powerful”. The material will now be reviewed before a full rollout across the force in the coming months.

West Midlands Police said further modules are already in development, including a programme on anti-Muslim hate, as part of a broader attempt to standardise how it engages with different communities.