BERLIN (dpa-AFX) – Before the security summit scheduled by Deutsche Bahn for today in Berlin, the head of the Railway and Transport Union (EVG), Martin Burkert, is primarily calling for double staffing in local transport. “That is the most important demand,” he said in the ARD “Morgenmagazin”. But the use of body cameras in long-distance transport must now also be implemented.
The attack on a Deutsche Bahn train attendant in Rhineland-Palatinate at the beginning of February sparked discussions about greater safety for railway staff. The 36-year-old was seriously injured during a ticket check and died two days later. The railway then invited, among others, the federal government, the federal police and the states to a security summit.
The EVG boss’s expectations are now aimed at the federal and state governments. “The responsibility ping-pong, as I call it, that the federal government says the states are responsible for appointing staff on trains and the states say, “Federation, you have to give me more money for this,” said Burkert, that this has to stop. “Security is non-negotiable for us.”
The police union (GdP) hopes for more safety in trains and stations through increased use of police patrols. “We need more train patrols to ensure safety on the trains,” said the GdP chairman for the federal police department, Andreas Roßkopf, to the “Rheinische Post”. “If we show more presence on the trains and stations, then we will create a different security image.” Roßkopf also supports the calls for double staffing at ticket checks./jce/DP/jha