Cases of violence on trains threaten the safety of train attendants and physical assaults are no longer uncommon. Situations usually escalate due to missing tickets and the threat of fines. In 2022, more than 3,000 assaults were committed against railroad employees,an increase of 21% compared to the previous year. To protect its customer service staff, DB Regio is now increasingly using body cams on its trains.
Body-Cam deployment on the Black Forest Railway
The NetCo Body-Cam has been successfully used on the Black Forest Railway since February 2023. DB Regio and the Offenburg Federal Police have launched a pilot project in which the cameras are to be used on the Black Forest Railway line for a year to make the day-to-day work of customer service staff safer. If a situation escalates, the train attendants now have the option of informing the passenger in question that the body cam can be switched on and record video footage if the situation does not calm down. The recorded video material can only be viewed by the Offenburg Federal Police and used for further prosecution. Those affected will receive an information card from the train attendants with further information and contacts.
So far, however, the de-escalating effectof the body cam has been sufficient. Valerie Fischer, train attendant on the Black Forest Railway, is delighted with the camera:
“Sometimes situations escalate out of nowhere. But when people see the camera, they immediately back off. This gives me more security”. (source of quote: Protection for train staff: ticket control with bodycam | tagesschau.de)
“I wouldn’t give her away again”
DB Regio has also launched a similar pilot project in Bavaria. On the route from Bamberg to Würzburg, 6 railroad employees are testing the NetCo Body-Cam until the end of the year. Martina Wilk is one of the customer advisors who is allowed to wear the camera on her uniform. Since the introduction of the body cam, she has rarely been insulted and has not been physically assaulted since. The train attendant finally feels safe again in her day-to-day work: “I wouldn’t give [the body cam] away again.” (Quote source: More assaults on trains: train attendants wear bodycams | BR24). She is pleased about the respect she is once again receiving from passengers with the camera and often no longer has to engage in discussions as soon as she asks for ID. Christian Postler, Team Leader Bamberg at DB Regio Bayern, also draws a positive interim conclusion about the body cam. Since the other train attendants have been wearing the body cam, there have also been no more incidents of violence.
Transdev also relies on body cams
Not only DB Regio, but also many other public transport companies such as the Transdev Group are now using body cams to protect staff. In 2022, there were 210 verbal and physical assaults at Regio-S-Bahn Bremen/Lower Saxony (Transdev) — a significant increase compared to the pre-coronavirus years. NordWestBahn is now using body cams on a trial basis. In future, 35 train attendants will wear a body cam. These will be used every day from 7 p.m., as situations are particularly likely to escalate during this time. So far, there have only been positive reactions: A NordWestBahn spokesperson announced that no video recordings had yet been made. He also confirmed the de-escalating effect of the NetCo body cam. (Source: De-escalation: Test with bodycams in Nordwestbahn: Cameras show effect | ZEIT ONLINE)
TransRegio, part of the Transdev Group, has been using body cams on the MittelrheinBahn between Cologne and Mainz since 2019. A TransRegio customer advisor is also pleased with the de-escalating effect of the body cam: “Passengers react to it, are aware of the issue and behave accordingly. I also feel much safer with the camera.” (Quote source: Body cams on the Mittelrheinbahn (netco.de)).
Further references:
Deutsche Bahn
Find out more about the use of body cams by security staff at Deutsche Bahn AG here!
Saarbahn
Find out more about the Saarbahn operation here!
