Crime on trains - After assaults: More train staff receive bodycams
Due to persistent violence against railway employees, the German Railways (Deutsche Bahn) are equipping more staff in Baden-Württemberg with body cameras. Since February 2023, railway employees on the Schwarzwaldbahn (Karlsruhe–Konstanz) have been using body cameras as part of a pilot project. In certain cases, the use of body cameras is also being considered on the Gaü- and Murrbahn. The positive evaluation of this project will lead to the use of body cameras in other DB Regio networks in Baden-Württemberg this year, in networks where there is currently no video surveillance in vehicles. The Ministry of Transport confirmed this in response to an enquiry from the AfD faction.
Employees with body cameras and security personnel with protection dogs have hardly been attacked. According to the railway company, the presence of body cameras has prevented numerous critical situations, as reported by those involved in the testing. The cameras will be introduced nationwide from 2024, initially on a voluntary basis.
How do body cameras work?
Body cameras are video cameras that are worn and switched on when there are disputes. Perpetrators can often be identified from the recordings. The police also use body cameras. The wearing of body cameras must be justified to comply with the Data Protection Regulation. The body camera should not be switched on without need.
The body camera is only activated by the railway company in critical and escalating situations and only after an explicit request. The recordings and the data obtained from them can only be accessed, secured, and used by the Federal Police. People recorded or directly affected by the recording will receive an information card after the event, which informs them about their rights and contact persons. The video material is stored for 72 hours.
Which are the new routes?
The new routes in Baden-Württemberg include Network 2 Stuttgart–Ulm–Lake Constance and Network 5 Danube Ostalb. In addition, the use of body cameras by DB Regio will be introduced nationwide on suitable lines, the Ministry of Transport announced. The use of body cameras in cross-border traffic to Switzerland is still being discussed. Moreover, other railway transport companies in Baden-Württemberg are encouraged to test the use of body cameras in their trains.
According to a parliamentary inquiry, body cameras have been in use since June in Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia for customer service personnel in local transport. The S-Bahn Hannover plans a pilot project for the use of body cameras by train escorts. The project is expected to run from this summer until the end of the year, a Transdev spokesperson announced in April. Transdev operates the lines of the S-Bahn in Hannover. Initially, a smaller number of body cameras are to be used.
Assaults on railway employees are on the rise
Railway employees report being exposed to violence and insults in a survey. 64% of the respondents stated that they had experienced violence or insults in the past twelve months, as the Railway and Transport Union (EVG) announced at the beginning of May. 38% complained that they had been insulted several times a month. More than a third of those surveyed felt insecure at work.
In the online survey of the EVG, approximately 4000 train conductors, station staff, and hotline employees expressed their experiences of assaults in February. According to German Rail's own reports, there were 3144 reported incidents of assaults on their employees in the previous year. The year before, there were reportedly 3161 such incidents. About two-thirds of the assaults reportedly affected train personnel in regional transport.
DB appeals for more respect for its employees
Recently, the DB has been campaigning for more respect and safety for its employees and employees. In the context of the "#moreRespect" initiative of the Federal Ministry of Transport and the German Transport Safety Council, the DB aims to improve the transportation climate and increase safety in the transportation sector. The DB's participation in the safety alliance is also a consequence of an increasing number of verbal and physical assaults on employees in train stations and trains.
- The use of body cameras by DB Regio is being extended to other networks in Baden-Württemberg due to positive results from a pilot project on the Schwarzwaldbahn.
- The new routes in Baden-Württemberg where body cameras will be used include Network 2 Stuttgart–Ulm–Lake Constance and Network 5 Danube Ostalb.
- The Ministry of Transport has also announced plans to introduce the use of body cameras nationwide on suitable lines, following the positive results of the pilot project.
- In certain cases, the Gaü- and Murrbahn in Baden-Württemberg are also considering the use of body cameras for railway employees.
- The police in Stuttgart have also started using body cameras as part of their efforts to combat crime on railroads.
- During a parliamentary inquiry, it was revealed that body cameras have been in use since June in Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia for customer service personnel in local transport.
- The S-Bahn Hanover is planning a pilot project for the use of body cameras by train escorts, with a smaller number of cameras set to be used initially.
- In response to increasing incidents of violence against railway employees, German Railways (DB) is appealing for more respect and safety for its workers.
- The AfD faction questioned the German Ministry of Transport about the use of body cameras by DB Regio in Baden-Württemberg, and the ministry confirmed the plans to extend their use in response.
