Violent passengers on German trains endanger the safety of train attendants, and physical assaults are no longer a rarity. Situations usually escalate due to missing tickets and impending fines. In 2022, there were more than 3,000 assaults on railway employees, an increase of 21% compared to the previous year. To protect its customer service staff, DB Regio is now increasingly relying on the use of body cameras on trains. ## Body camera use on the Black Forest Railway
Since February 2023, the NetCo body cam has been used successfully on the Black Forest Railway. Here, DB Regio has launched a pilot project in collaboration with the Offenburg Federal Police, in which the cameras will be used on the Black Forest Railway line for one year to make the daily work of customer service representatives safer.
If a situation escalates, train attendants now have the option of informing the passenger in question that the body cam can be switched on and will 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 criminal prosecution. Those affected will receive an information card from the train attendants with further details and contact persons. However, the de-escalating effect of the body camera has been sufficient so far. Valerie Fischer, a train attendant on the Black Forest Railway, is enthusiastic about the camera:
“Sometimes situations escalate out of nowhere. But when people see the camera, they immediately back off. That gives me more security.” (Source: Protection for train staff: ticket inspection with body cam | tagesschau.de)
“I wouldn’t give it back” DB Regio has also launched a similar pilot project in Bavaria. Six railway employees are testing the NetCo body cam on the route from Bamberg to Würzburg until the end of the year. One of the customer service representatives who is allowed to wear the camera on her uniform is Martina Wilk. Since the introduction of the body cam, she has rarely been insulted, and there have been no further physical assaults. The train attendant finally feels safe again in her everyday work: “I wouldn’t give up [the body cam] for anything.” (Source: More assaults on trains: Train attendants wear body-cams | BR24). She is pleased with the increased respect she receives from passengers since wearing the camera and often no longer has to argue when asking for identification. Christian Postler, team leader in Bamberg at DB Regio Bayern, also gives a positive interim assessment of the body cam. Since wearing the body cam, there have been no further incidents of violence involving other train attendants.
Transdev also relies on body cameras
Not only DB Regio, but also many other public transport companies such as the Transdev Group now use body cameras to protect their staff. In 2022, there were 210 verbal and physical assaults on the Regio-S-Bahn Bremen/Lower Saxony (Transdev) – a significant increase compared to the pre-corona years. Body cameras are now being trialled on NordWestBahn trains. In future, 35 train attendants will wear body cameras. These will be used every day from 7 p.m. onwards, as situations are particularly likely to escalate during this time. So far, the response has been positive: a spokesperson for NordWestBahn said that no video recordings have been made to date. He also confirmed the de-escalating effect of the NetCo body cam. (Source: De-escalation: Trial with body cams on 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 customer service representative at TransRegio is also pleased with the de-escalating effect of the body cam: “Passengers react to it, take note of the issue and behave accordingly. I also feel much safer with the camera.” (Source: Body-Cams on the Mittelrheinbahn (netco.de)). Get a free consultation ## Further references:
### Deutsche Bahn
Find out more about the use of body cams by security personnel at Deutsche Bahn AG here! 