More than two-thirds of public sector employees (67 per cent) have been insulted, verbally abused, threatened or attacked while at work in the last two years. In a study conducted by the German Trade Union Confederation, 57 per cent of respondents stated that violence had increased significantly.
Whether railway employees or staff at government offices, police, emergency and law enforcement services – attacks on these professional groups have steadily increased in recent years and have risen dramatically during the ongoing pandemic.
In public transport in particular, staff are currently often exposed to aggressive hostility from passengers due to 3G verification checks. ## Public transport: employee protection is the topic of the hour Some pioneering companies in public transport are now relying on the use of body cameras for employee protection. And with success! The cameras are primarily used to de-escalate conflict situations. They are therefore used preventively by the wearer to defuse aggression and prevent violent crime. One factor in particular plays a key role in ensuring this is successful: the front display. ## The NetCo body cam – de-escalation is the focus
The large front display on the NetCo body cam has two functions: Firstly, it supports the wearer in going through the escalation stages (presence with body cam, indication of imminent recording, activation of the display) even before a recording is made, as the camera and the potentially imminent recording are clearly present. Secondly, the person being filmed can see themselves in the mirror function on the display. As a result, the person being filmed is directly confronted with their own behaviour. Often, simply activating the mirror function (without recording) is enough to de-escalate a potentially dangerous situation. This ensures that the conflict situation does not pose a danger to either the body cam wearer or uninvolved third parties.
Front display – 50% de-escalation by switching on the body cam The concept of a “body cam with display” is a valuable measure for many public transport companies to prevent dangers on platforms or inside trains. Wiener Linien has been using cameras with front displays since 2018. In most cases, body cams are used to remind dog owners to use a muzzle, to prevent smoking on the platform or to prevent people from riding their bikes on the platform. Wiener Linien service employees report that the front display on the body camera is particularly helpful in their daily work. They confirm that the people filmed are deterred by the body camera recording – for fear of further legal action, such as a complaint.
Deutsche Bahn has also been using NetCo body-cams with front displays at major railway stations in Germany since 2017. The reason for this was that a large number of employees were being insulted or even attacked by passengers. The cameras help DB security personnel to protect themselves and document assaults in a legally compliant manner.
The transport company Trans Regio has also purchased body cameras for the RheinmittelBahn trains because there have been repeated incidents of altercations and assaults, particularly against train staff. In addition, the company is attempting to use body cameras to combat property damage and vandalism, which incur high costs every year. “Our goal is for passengers and colleagues to always feel safe and comfortable on our trains,” says Ingo Pfundstein, Managing Director of Trans Regio Deutsche Regionalbahn GmbH. A total of five customer service representatives wear high-visibility vests with NetCo body cameras on trains from 7 p.m. onwards. The conclusion so far is “that both employees and passengers feel safer and behave differently thanks to the body cameras.”