A BLACK Country police inspector allegedly went to the wrong restaurant while officers made urgent calls for back up during a fight in a pizzeria in Stourbridge, a misconduct panel heard.

Inspector Jaswant Singh allegedly told officers to “calm down” and “take their time” despite a police sergeant requesting urgent assistance over the radio, claiming the scene was “going off like a bottle of pop”, at Olivio’s, in High Street, Stourbridge, just before 2.30am on February 23 last year.

But, a police constable said she was “shocked” when she was later told by fellow officers Mr Singh “had gone to the wrong pizza place and there was no sign of disorder”.

PC Teresa Bird said officers told her after the incident the inspector had turned up to another takeaway called Romino’s, situated less than 100 metres away.

The officer said she had no evidence of this and only the hearsay of her colleagues.

A West Midlands Police panel in Birmingham on Monday (November 23) heard evidence Mr Singh allegedly breached professional standards by failing in his duties on that night, and then later lying about what happened.

Mr Singh denies all allegations.

The hearing was told that Sergeant Mark Butler, at Olivio’s, said in a radio message: “I need officers down on the High Street, like yesterday, please.”

When asked where he was by Inspector Singh, Sgt Butler replied: “Straight to Olivio’s, it’s going off like a bottle of pop in here.”

Within minutes, the inspector radioed back stating: “Yes, I’m here now, things have calmed down so people can slow down, but still make, over.”

This prompted the sergeant to query: “Gaffer, have you just said people can slow down?

“That’s a negative boss. I need them here and I need them now.”

At the time of the incident, Sgt Butler told the panel he and a colleague, PC Bird, were in the restaurant in a “challenging” situation trying to split two groups of “heavy and muscular” men squaring up to one another.

Minutes earlier, two men had been ejected from the pizzeria by another officer, PC Shaun Lyle, who was still dealing with the men in the street.

It is alleged Mr Singh was in no position to assess the situation at the time, when he made the call for other responding units to slow down.

When back-up officers did arrive in High Street, it is alleged Mr Singh, who was now outside the restaurant, “instructed them it was calm”.

Panel chairman assistant chief constable Carl Foulkes, reading out the allegation, said: “Sergeant Butler still required assistance.

“You made that transmission that things had calmed down when you did not know that. You told officers to slow down when you did not know if he (Sergeant Butler) was safe and well.”

The panel was told shortly after back up officers arrived, both groups of men were thrown out of the restaurant and sent off in opposite directions.

Later, PC Bird was asked about her statement, where she said Inspector Singh had “tried to cancel back up because he attended the wrong pizzeria”.

She said: “I was told he had cancelled back up because he attended the wrong pizza restaurant and there was no sign of disorder.

“I was shocked to be told that – that he had not tried to find us to make sure we did not need help and to find out if we were safe.

“If we were not in that pizza restaurant then where were we? We could have been injured.

“I was shocked that he hadn’t found out before cancelling.”

She said this was something she had been told by others and not seen for herself.

She later filled out a “near miss report” about what happened, dealing with health and safety issues.

Following the incident, after two meetings with a chief inspector to discuss what happened, it is alleged the inspector lied to the senior officer about the incident.

David Mason QC, counsel for Mr Singh, asked Sgt Butler about his initial recollection being wrong that the inspector had actually cancelled back up.

He then asked: “What he (Inspector Singh) is doing there is saying the heat has come out of the situation, people can slow down, otherwise in his opinion things have calmed down and other officers who might be rushing to the scene can take things a little more steadily?”

Sgt Butler replied: “By that transmission, yes.”

He added: “I can 100 per cent say I did not see Inspector Singh in the premises.”

However, he later told the panel he (Inspector Singh) “could have been in the premises” and that he just did not see him with everything else going on.

If the case against Mr Singh is found proven and is determined to amount the gross misconduct, he faces immediate dismissal from the force.

The panel is expected to hear more evidence from fellow officers on the scene that night and the hearing continues.