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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.<\/p>\n
Chief executive Evelyn Palla made the announcement to staff at a summit on security in Berlin, sources told dpa.<\/p>\n
The meeting was convened following the killing of a Deutsche Bahn employee in a case that made the headlines across the country.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The alleged culprit, a 26-year-old Greek national, is in custody.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
According to Deutsche Bahn, there were a total of around 3,000 physical assaults on its employees last year.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n