Germany’s Deutsche Bahn to offer staff bodycams after fatal attack

Germany’s Deutsche Bahn is set to offer all employees the option of wearing body cameras, dpa learnt on Friday, as the national railway operator seeks to respond to a fatal attack on a train conductor.

Chief executive Evelyn Palla made the announcement to staff at a summit on security in Berlin, sources told dpa.

The meeting was convened following the killing of a Deutsche Bahn employee in a case that made the headlines across the country.

The 36-year-old was attacked on a train in the western state of Rhineland-Palatinate by a passenger travelling without a ticket and suffered severe injuries before dying in hospital.

The alleged culprit, a 26-year-old Greek national, is in custody.

Palla wants to equip all railway employees who have contact with customers, including those working in long-distance transport and at stations, with body cameras on a voluntary basis before the end of this year.

The measure was a core demand of the Railway and Transport Union (EVG), which believes bodycams with audio recording are necessary to protect employees. The technology is already available for employees in regional services.

The union is also insisting that two train attendants are needed to check tickets on regional trains instead of just one, as is often the case at present.

According to Deutsche Bahn, there were a total of around 3,000 physical assaults on its employees last year.

Although this was a slight decrease compared to the previous year, the EVG emphasized that the sense of security among the workforce has deteriorated significantly, referring to a survey of around 4,000 employees conducted last year.