I was at Marylebone this morning and an announcement kept being played asking for inspector sands to go to platform 21. I know this is a call for the police and platform 21 is code for a location but I was wondering where on the station "platform 21" is and if other stations have specific inspector sands codes?
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Inspector Sands
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mirodo
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I've been in St Pancras when they've announced a system test, which should be ignored by anyone listening. They then put a call out over the PA for Inspector Sands - in English and then French!
steamybrian
Established Member
It is coded security announcement. The code for the non-existant platform 21is for a location known only to staff.
The true meaning of these messages should be kept confidential.
I have heard the "Inspector Sands" announcement at London Bridge
According to Wikipedia, it's normally more than a test:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inspector_Sands
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inspector_Sands
King's Cross today seemed to be doing nothing but warning people not to buy tickets from touts.
I presume a tout was seen by people in the control room and the automated message was manually repeated to stop them.
But if you're going to ask someone to go to a platform, surely it is better to ensure the platform exists? Otherwise it's a bit (more) obvious (than it already is).
I often joke with the wife when an announcement goes out in Tesco for a member of staff to attend to the checkout that there's a bomb scare in aisle nn. I'm sure she always finds it funny but is too tired to laugh.
I presume a tout was seen by people in the control room and the automated message was manually repeated to stop them.
But if you're going to ask someone to go to a platform, surely it is better to ensure the platform exists? Otherwise it's a bit (more) obvious (than it already is).
I often joke with the wife when an announcement goes out in Tesco for a member of staff to attend to the checkout that there's a bomb scare in aisle nn. I'm sure she always finds it funny but is too tired to laugh.
NathanPrior
Member
Heard it once at Charing Cross when a group of teenagers were smoking in the toilets, surely they could of just gone outside the station, idiots
Assuming it was at around 11am, it would have been The Office Group testing their fire alarm, which is linked to the station's.
I agree. Then again, terms such as Mr Green/Inspector Sands have become common knowledge through internet etc.
tsr
Established Member
I've heard this (or another of a variety of coded messages) about five times in the past week on the LU. On the occasion of a recurring "Inspector Sands" message at Warren Street station last week, during which it appeared to be broadcasting itself to most of the top of Tottenham Court Road (the road, not the station) as well, a couple of members of staff confirmed to me that it was an accidental fire alarm message caused by a "slightly too hot piece of equipment that has been checked" and that it was "nothing to worry about".
An "Inspector Sands" message generally seems to indicate that a fire alarm or a heat/smoke detector has been activated in one isolated area of the station - it appears to me that it is more likely to be broadcast if the alarm/detector concerned is NOT in a public area.
An "Inspector Sands" message generally seems to indicate that a fire alarm or a heat/smoke detector has been activated in one isolated area of the station - it appears to me that it is more likely to be broadcast if the alarm/detector concerned is NOT in a public area.
deltic1989
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And his lonely hearts club band, please report to the runway???158801:1226549 said:
Ivo
Established Member
So what would happen if a real Inspector Sands was actually required to report to a specific location?
ATW Alex 101
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I have heard it at London Bridge before aswell, like everyone says else it's to warn about a fire without causing a mass panic
Tiny Tim
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theblackwatch
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Inspector Sands was required at Leeds when 55022 was smoking out the station during the set-down of a Spitfire tour a year or two back! 
12CSVT
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The announcements can be heard at many stations during routine fire alarm tests (as required by law).
While this may be true, the announcement goes out any time there is a fire alarm triggered, wherever it is on the station. Mostly those are in retail units.
When I hear a message to Inspector Sands I high-tail it to my train as fast as possible.
Brownie points to the first person to say correctly why I do this.
tsr
Established Member
The number one reason should be because your train is about to leave and you want to make it - since there is no evacuation message being played, there is no reason to be anything other than vigilant to any signs of danger in the vicinity.
The number two reason should be because your train is likely to be a safer place than a stampede at a fire exit if an evacuation does commence - your train is essentially a fire-resistant shell that can also move you out of danger (as and when possible).
tsr
Established Member
As I say, the station will be evacuated if this is deemed necessary due to an immediate hazard, but an activated fire alarm call point and the subsequent playing of an Inspector Sands message does NOT mean that there is a hazard that could cause an evacuation. Therefore, one should not instantly assume it is unsafe to get off a train, that one should leave the station or that one should start grabbing fire extinguishers from the walls. The evacuation message is a subsequent one and one that has to be carefully but quickly considered by controlling staff. It will be played if necessary, and then you and any trains should leave. Until then, stay put but by all means be vigilant!
On the other hand, if you feel that it would be unwise to enter a station where you have no immediate business to attend to, and where an Inspector Sands message is playing, by all means do not enter if you do not deem this necessary, as you may well save yourself a needless evacuation.
These announcements are now pretty much common knowledge as fire alerts etc but they arnt designed to be secret really. Just to avoid panick. Even if people know what they mean its still far better than broadcasting 'fire alarm activated on platform 3' and then watching the stampede as possibly hundreds of panicked commuters try and run away. Words like fire, bomb etc in crowded areas like transport hubs have to be used very carefully as they will generally lead to mass panic.
tsr
Established Member
The fact that my commute has (at several geographical points, at least) up to half a dozen or so easy potential diversion options is probably besides the point here, but does illustrate why I don't think like that...
I run for the hills every time I have to listen to Atos Anne say anything.
I'm certain they're all coded messages.
"Would passengers intending to travel please board the train now as it is ready to leave" actually means "We've sold Network Rail this crappy passenger information system and discontinued the development of the software. Hahaha!"
Rather sweeping generalisation there...And also one that wouldn't apply at most commuter terminals I suspect, due to the very nature of the way the diagrams are worked meaning that the trains aren't generally "ready to depart" much more than five minutes before booked time.
Each station should have an evacuation plan detailing what to do in the event of needing to detrain passengers during an evacuation.
And if the controlling signalbox is co-located with the station, such as at Marylebone, Liverpool Street and Kings Cross, I'd expect the 'box to be evacuated along with everyone else, so you'd get no more train movements in the controlled area until such time as the signallers were back in place.
causton
Established Member
I think quite a lot of business with customer-facing parts have code words, don't they? In the two retail shops I've worked in (both for the same company) we have universal code words issued by the company, which IME are ignored and replaced with other ones, as I'm sure the hardened criminals would know the code words by now if they hear them too much!
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