A False Alarm

A False Alarm

Uni had finished early today. My 3p.m. lecture had been cancelled so I was able to leave at 1. I left the uni and made my way to Holloway Road Tube Station. On the way Sarah, my girlfriend, called me,

"Hi John," she said "I'm not going to be finished at work until 7. Can you pick up my clothes from the launderette for me please? It closes at 5."

Of course I agreed, I set a reminder on my phone to go off at half 4, so that I would remember and have enough time to get them. I continued to the tube station and decided that since I have the time, that I may as well get some shopping done, so I head to Green Park and get there at about quarter to 2. It's started to rain by the time I get there so I put my hood up as I go around all the shops buying clothes, groceries, and other things that I need before I head back to the tube station.

I get there at about 4:10 according to my phone. With all the bags weighing down my hands it was a struggle to even check. I let my phone just slip into my uni bag at my side instead of struggling to put it back into my pocket. I have been walking for ages, and the bags are heavy and digging into my skin. I can't wait to get a rest. I get on the tube and there are free spaces to sit down, am glad for the short break that it will allow me. I lay all the stuff I just brought on the floor and take my uni bag off my shoulder and place it on the seat next to me. My mind drifts as I relax on the seat and before I know it I hear "We are now at Seven Sisters." comes through the speakers. I quickly grab my bags off of the floor and rush off the tube before the doors shut.

My house is usually only about 15 minutes from the station, but weighed down by the bags it takes me 20. I get home and change out of my wet clothes before I put all the stuff I brought away. As I put everything away, I have a nagging feeling in the back of my mind that I have forgotten something. I brush it off and go and sit down and turn my TV on. I turn it on to channel 5 just in time to get the 5.0. Clock news, and see the headlines breaking news across the screen. I turn it up just in time to hear the announcer's speech:



"Breaking news, just in, approximately half an hour ago an incident occured at Tottenham Hale tube station involving an unidentified man in a black hoodie and blue jeans on the Victoria tube line. According to one other passenger this individual seemed to suddenly jump up, grab some bags off the floor, and run of the tube in a most suspicious manner. The passenger, a teacher who was sat across from the man on the tube, said that at first he thought nothing of this exit, except that it was a bit weird and abrupt, but then he noticed that the man had left his bag in the seat. The teacher says his first thought was to return the bag, but by the time he noticed it the tube had already left the station, and so he left the bag where it was. It was at this point that the incident began, within minutes after leaving the station the bag is reported to have started beeping. The teacher got up and when to go and investigate what was casing the beeping sound when another passenger grabbed him saying, "Stop! I am a police officer, and that bag may contain a bomb, which could be triggered if we move or open it." Naturally, this information sent the teacher and the rest of the passengers in that section of the tube into a state of panic.

The officer used the emergency button to contact the driver saying, "We have an unknown object onboard, call ahead to control and have them clear the next station and send down a bomb squad. The tube driver contacted control who ordered the immediate shut down and evacuation of Tottenham Hale Station, and since they were unsure of the size and destruction capability of what may have been a bomb they took the precaution of shutting down the two connected stations, Seven Sisters and Blackhorse Road as well as stopping and evacuation all trains on the Victoria line.

When the train pulled into Tottenham Hale Station the evacuation was still underway. There was an announcement on repeat saying, "This is not a drill, can all passengers and personnel please calmly make their way to the nearest exit immediately, due to a security issue Tottenham Hale Station is currently closed."

The security team helped to usher everybody out, while most of the local police force made their way to lock off and secure the area. The cop from the train helped the security team usher everyone off of that train, and as the last of them left, the bomb squad arrived and the cop brought them to the offending bag. The bomb squad immediately set to work securing the bag. Moments after beginning however a sound which was clearly the ringing of a phone could clearly be heard coming from the bag, supposing that this may be a trigger everybody immediately rushed back, however after nothing had happened after about half a minute they re-entered to continue their investigation once the call had stopped. At this point one of members noted that the beeping had also stopped, and further careful investigation found that the bag contained no bomb and that the beeping was simply an alarm on the phone.

The station has since re-opened and the Victoria Line is once again running. The owner of the phone is yet to be identified, but the police have said that there was clearly no intention to cause any harm or disruption, so there has been no criminal offence. Although this incident would have caused Transport For London a huge amount of money, they seem to be taking it in good faith saying in a statement, "This incident just goes to show how effective our security protocols are in dealing with any threat that arises. Although there was no real threat, am sure it still make the people of London breathe easier seeing how fully equipped we are to deal with these incidents. We have no problem with the passenger who left the phone and would like to inform him that the phone along with the bag can be collected if he contacts us. Also, when we picked up the phone we found that the alarm was a reminder to pick up the launderette by 5, after all this, we hope that he remembered.”