We, the undersigned residents of Birmingham, write at a moment of intense national scrutiny of West Midlands Police and its Chief Constable, following continued questioning in the House of Commons regarding the policing decision related to the Aston Villa v Maccabi Tel Aviv fixture.

As residents of one of the most diverse and complex cities in the country, we understand that policing decisions are often made in difficult, fast-moving circumstances, based on risk assessments that the public may not always be privy to. We also recognise that such decisions, particularly those touching on international tensions, identity, and public order, will inevitably attract strong political and media reaction.

While it is right that policing decisions are scrutinised, we are concerned by the tone and trajectory of the current discourse. There is a growing risk that operational policing is being retrospectively politicised, with the benefit of hindsight, in a way that undermines the independence of the police and places individual leaders under disproportionate pressure.

This letter is not an assertion that mistakes can never be made, nor is it an attempt to silence criticism or bypass accountability. Rather, it is an expression of our belief that decisions taken in good faith to protect public safety must be assessed fairly, proportionately, and through established processes, not through public vilification or political point-scoring.

Birmingham relies on a police service that is able to make difficult judgements without fear that every operational decision will become a proxy battleground for national or international politics. We are deeply concerned about the precedent that is set when senior officers are subjected to sustained pressure that risks eroding confidence, morale, and the principle of policing by consent.

We support the Chief Constable’s right, and responsibility, to make operational decisions based on intelligence, risk, and public safety considerations, and to have those decisions reviewed calmly and rigorously where necessary. We also recognise the extraordinary pressures facing West Midlands Police, including resource constraints, rising demand, and the need to balance community trust with effective enforcement.

As residents, parents, workers and community members, we want a police service that is fair, accountable, independent and confident; not one that is weakened by politicisation or retrospective condemnation.

We therefore place on record our support for the Chief Constable of West Midlands Police and for a measured, evidence-based approach to scrutiny that strengthens, rather than destabilises, public policing in our city.