The Swiss public broadcaster, SRF, on Thursday reported that body cams would be issued to rail police nationwide after obtaining access to confidential internal documents. The body cams are expected to be rolled out by the end of this year.
A rise in physical and verbal attacks from passengers prompted the decision, according to the internal document. The railway company also referred to the adoption of bodycams in other countries, as well as a successful pilot project in 2017 in Switzerland, as justification.
Opponents of the introduction, especially the city of Zurich, feared that the footage would be saved and used in other contexts. The railway firm is reportedly close to resolving the concerns raised by finalising details on how and when the bodycams will be used.
In 2018, the Swiss Federal Railways floated a tender for the procurement of 4,000 CCTV cameras, one of the largest such orders in Europe in recent years. Surveillance cameras in trains and at railway stations store images for 120 hours after which the data is deleted automatically.
Around 200 transport police work for the Swiss Federal Railways. From 2012 onwards, they were allowed to carry guns for defence purposes.
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