Deutsche Bahn Gives Green Light for Body Cams
Deutsche Bahn’s security staff will start wearing body cams at large stations and when working near major and sporting events.
© Deutsche Bahn AG / Pablo Castagnola
Ronald Pofalla, DB’s Board Member responsible for Security, said: ‘Body cams secure evidence and provide protection against attacks. That gives DB employees and rail passengers more security. Our tests were positive throughout: security teams wearing body cams were not attacked a single time; they are therefore safer.’
DB Body Cams – some facts and figures:
- Around 50 security personnel worked more than 8,800 hours in Cologne and Berlin between August 2016 and March 2017 fitted with body cams
- The preventive effect stems largely from the inbuilt monitor that displays attackers’ behaviour back to them
- Security employees will start wearing these body cams on a regular basis, particularly during critical periods, such as in the evenings, at the weekends, when football fans are travelling to matches and when major events are taking place
- Deutsche Bahn recorded 2,300 attacks in 2016, roughly a third more than in 2015
- The body cams supplement video surveillance already in place at stations and on trains
- By the end of 2017 DB will operate around 7,000 cameras at around 1,000 stations – a 20% increase to 2016
- 28,000 cameras are already installed in regional and local (S-Bahn) trains
- The footage is only available to view by the federal police in the event of a criminal investigation
- All footage recorded is encrypted and transmitted to a secure server at the end of a shift
- The employee wearing the body cam has to announce switching it on before starting recording
This information is based on a German-language press release by Deutsche Bahn.
