"Would Inspector Sands Please Contact the Control Room"

[mattdaniels]

I sometimes hear this automated announcement on the tube played a few times (last week at Euston one evening it was going off constantly).

It comes across as some sort of coded message. Anyone know what it means?

[dundarach]

I guess it's the same as 'first class service required at the checkouts' which I always thought was code for bad credit cards etc...

[Hugo a Gogo]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inspector_Sands

[thatone1967]

reminds me of a chap I used to know who was a manager at Tesco..

He regularly used to use the alert of "code 69 in aisle 6" to draw his colleagues attention to fit birds in the store....

[Pothole]

thatone1967 said:

reminds me of a chap I used to know who was a manager at Tesco..

He regularly used to use the alert of "code 69 in aisle 6" to draw his colleagues attention to fit birds in the store....

we used to just shout 'strawberries' when I worked in retail.

[pip t]

Inspector Sands is indeed a coded announcement. There are various different versions - Inspector Black is another common one. I work in the theatre industry where we use the same terms, only with 'Mr' instead of 'Inspector.' Anywhere that the public gather and has a PA system for communications tends to use some form of code - it creates less of a panic amoung the public than a more explicit announcement.

[W124Bob]

It's an automated security alert,Usually slightly louder than normal PA volume.Certainly used at Manchester Piccadilly.I dont know what level of security alert it triggers.Most staff including me have never been briefed on this issue.So BTP & senior Network Rail appear to be the only people who know what response is required!