LONDON: An under-fire UK police chief on Wednesday blamed the use of AI for erroneous evidence given to MPs over the decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv football fans from a match against Aston Villa.&nbsp;The police classified the match in Birmingham in November as &quot;high risk&quot;, citing previous Maccabi games including a Europa League encounter in Amsterdam which sparked clashes between locals and Israeli fans.&nbsp;The decision to ban Maccabi fans from the Villa Park UEFA Europa League game was slammed by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, with the government ordering an independent report which is due to be published later on Wednesday.&nbsp;Scrutiny has increased on West Midlands police after multiple pieces of evidence used to justify the decision proved flawed, with the force rejecting allegations that the move was motivated by politics rather than fan safety.&nbsp;In an intelligence report for the game, police cited a match between West Ham and Maccabi Tel Aviv which never took place.&nbsp;When questioned about this by lawmakers earlier this month, chief constable Craig Guildford insisted that the error was the result of a Google search, and that the force had not used artificial intelligence in its research.&nbsp;However, in a letter to MPs on Wednesday, Guildford admitted that the erroneous information was due to the use of Microsoft Co Pilot, an AI chatbot.&nbsp;&quot;I would like to offer my profound apology to the committee for this error,&quot; Guildford said, adding that there was &quot;no intention to mislead the committee&quot;.&nbsp;That came after UK media reported in December that Dutch police also disputed evidence cited by the West Midlands force to justify the ban.&nbsp;UK police claimed they were told that Maccabi fans were behind several violent incidents during the 2024 Amsterdam clashes but that intelligence was partly contradicted by Dutch politicians and police.&nbsp;The decision to ban the fans was also sharply criticized by Israeli politicians, who claimed that it was antisemitic.&nbsp;British interior minister Shabana Mahmood will present the findings of the independent inquiry on Wednesday, which could heap further pressure on Guildford after opposition leader Kemi Badenoch called for his resignation over the debacle.&nbsp;The Guardian newspaper reported that the watchdog report is set to say that the police made a series of errors in how it gathered and handled intelligence while making the decision.&nbsp;The match went ahead amid heavy security, but without Maccabi fans after the Israeli team turned down their away ticket allocation.

Two Police officers walking outside New Scotland Yard in London.

Artificial Intelligence

UK police chief admitted AI-generated errors led to flawed evidence behind banning Maccabi Tel Aviv fans, apologizing to MPs as an inquiry finds intelligence failures, amid political backlash, antisemitism claims, and pressure for his resignation.

UK police blames AI for evidence error over Maccabi fan ban

Reuters

LONDON: British police will get powers to restrict repeat protests held in the same place, the government said on Sunday, a day after the latest pro-Palestinian demonstration went ahead despite requests to cancel it in the wake of a deadly attack at a synagogue. The new powers will allow senior police officers to consider the cumulative impact of previous protests on a local community, the interior ministry said. &quot;The right to protest is a fundamental freedom in our country. However, this freedom must be balanced with the freedom of their neighbours to live their lives without fear,&quot; Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood said. &quot;Large, repeated protests can leave sections of our country, particularly religious communities, feeling unsafe, intimidated and scared to leave their homes,&quot; Mahmood said, noting the fears within the Jewish community. On Saturday, police arrested almost 500 people in central London during a protest in support of Palestine Action, a group that was banned in July after members broke into an air base and damaged military planes. Prime Minister Keir Starmer had urged organisers to call off the demonstration following the killing of two people at a synagogue in Manchester on Thursday on Yom Kippur, the holiest day for Jews. Police shot dead the assailant, a British man of Syrian descent who officials said may have been inspired by extremist Islamist ideology. The group behind Saturday&#39;s protest said the plans for more powers to limit demonstrations represented &quot;a dangerous, authoritarian escalation&quot; in a crackdown on free speech. &quot;We are announcing a major escalation ... and we urge all of our supporters to sign up to show we will not stand by as our fundamental rights are stripped away,&quot; a spokesperson for Defend Our Juries said. The Board of Deputies of British Jews welcomed the government&#39;s announcement but said more action was needed to protect the Jewish community. Mahmood is also due to review the police&#39;s existing powers to ensure they are sufficient and consistently applied, including powers to ban protests outright, the interior ministry said in a statement.

People celebrate outside the Woolwich Crown Court after its decision to throw out the prosecution of Kneecap member Liam O'Hanna charged with a terrorism offence in relation to the alleged display of a Hezbollah flag onstage in 2024, in London. (Reuters)

Europe

UK police will gain powers to limit repeated protests in the same area, aiming to protect communities, especially religious groups, amid tensions after a synagogue attack.

Articles tagged with "UK police"

UK police blames AI for evidence error over Maccabi fan ban

UK police to get new powers after latest pro-Palestinian protest