A POLICE officer responded to a fight in a gay pub – and ended up on stage singing karaoke.
An amazing video shows the Scots sergeant belting out Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive to rapturous punters.
The officer – Sergeant Jon Harris – was part of a squad of up to 10 officers who raced to the Waterloo Bar in Glasgow following a disturbance.
A man was reported to have thrown a drink over his girlfriend yesterday and then repeatedly tried to get back into the bar after being kicked out.
While several officers dealt with the law and order situation, Sergeant John decided to keep the customers happy by taking to the stage.
Announcing “I will sing”, the officer gave a spirited rendition of the classic, complete with animated finger pointing and barely a glance at the on-screen lyrics.
The clip, which was shared online by Steven McGhee, has already been viewed 50,000 times in just ten hours.
It begins with a shot of the crowd in the busy bar, which includes several police officers who grin from the sidelines as their colleague takes to the stage.
The man, in full policeman’s attire, is introduced as ‘Sergeant John’ and requests the well-known hit song from 1978.
As he stands under a glittering disco ball, the backing track begins and he bursts into song.
He even flings his arms around to give extra ‘oomph’ to his rendition, which, as X Factor judges might say, featured some “tuning” issues.
The lyrics, which include “And I spent so many nights thinking how you did me wrong, and I grew strong” flash up on a television screen mounted high on a wall.
Sergeant John points at the entrance to the bar as he sings “Oh now go, walk out the door, just turn around now, you’re not welcome anymore.”
The crowd claps and cheers him on, and he eventually finishes the song and leaves the pub to loud applause.
Steven, 38, manages a call centre opposite the bar and is a regular customer.
He said: “We were at the pub for their ‘Wacky Waterloo Wednesday’ event and one guy threw some glasses over his girlfriend, so I chucked him outside.
“He tried to get back in so we called the police, and about ten of them turned up.
“Some of them were taking statements and trying to watch the CCTV footage and then this one officer, who we just know is called Sergeant John, decided to sing karaoke.
“He picked the song and I’m pretty sure he’s performed it before – he had the hand movements and everything.”
He added: “Police do get a bad rep but the ones around here are always really friendly. This guy got a huge round of applause at the end – his rendition wasn’t too bad to be fair.
“The video has gone mad since I shared it. It’s just nice to see this side of the police.”
The video has attracted comments from amused Scots around the country.
Katie Boyle wrote: “He was brilliant and just goes to show not all bad can be said about Police Scotland.”
Ruth Black added: “This is even better than the Running Man challenge that Police Scotland did. Well done.”
Sgt Harris and his colleagues were praised by their area commander for helping to defuse “simmering tensions” in the Waterloo Bar.
Chief Inspector Mark Sutherland said: “Once the enquiry had concluded Sgt Jon Harris was encouraged to participate in karaoke ongoing in the pub.
“‘Sgt Jon’ took to the stage which helped to defuse any simmering tensions in the pub.
“I was pleased to see that once the incident had been professionally concluded, my officers were able to share a lighter moment with those who remained in the pub.”
Last year, Sgt Harris led a high-risk operation which involved smashing one of Glasgow’s most prolific street dealer rings.
The gang were suspected of selling heroin near some of the cities swankiest bars and nightclubs. As part of Operation Woodrich, city centre beat officers seized heroin and weapons when they swooped on suspects in Royal Exchange Square. Eight men were arrested in total.
Police revealed that a 23-year-old male was expected to appear at Glasgow Sheriff Court today in connection with an alleged assault at the bar on Wednesday evening.
The Waterloo Bar is described online as a “long-standing gay pub for drawing drinkers of all ages”.
