German railway union calls for bodycams in face of rise in attacks

German railway and transport union EVG said verbal and physical attacks are becoming an increasing problem on buses and trains and has therefore proposed that employees be equipped with bodycams, reported dpa.

At a joint press conference with EVG boss Martin Burkert on Tuesday, Transport Minister Volker Wissing expressed openness to the idea.

The use of bodycams, which could be switched on at the start of disputes, had already been successfully trialled, said the minister.

"Everyone is dependent on mobility and everyone is dependent on those who organize it on a daily basis being happy and motivated to do so in future," Wissing said.

The ministry and the EVG want to call for more respect for public transport employees in the coming months with a new poster campaign.

Burkert said that verbal and physical assaults on railway employees occur on a daily basis - and the trend is rising.

"In railway stations, on buses, on trains - all employees who wear a uniform in any way are affected," said the EVG boss. He cited the temporary €9 monthly transport ticket, which led to significantly fuller trains, and the coronavirus pandemic, as reasons for the rise.

The forms of assault are diverse. Wissing reported cases, for example, in which passengers prevented railway employees from closing the service office with one foot in the door in order to be served after opening hours.

"This is completely unacceptable," the minister said.

According to state-owned railway operator Deutsche Bahn, just over 3,100 assaults on employees of the group were recorded in 2022, half of which involved train staff on regional services.