In this interview, you will find an insight into the use of body cameras by Deutsche Bahn Security, conducted by Marcus Schermann, Head of Mobile Technology and CTO Security: 
How has the use of body cameras affected the safety of train staff and passengers? We collect statistics on the topic of “assaults on employees with and without body cameras”. In the past, we also surveyed our employees on a voluntary basis about their satisfaction with the use of body cameras. The participants confirmed that body cameras serve their purpose of prevention, i.e. protecting our employees from assault. Employees are happy to wear body cameras. In order to use body cameras, we must comply with the legal framework – issues include data protection, employee data protection, customer data protection and corporate data protection – and accordingly, we cannot simply use this tool everywhere at every station or on every patrol of Deutsche Bahn AG products, but must act in accordance with a situation assessment. In our view, the effect of body cameras on DB AG customers or employees has only been considered marginally. To date, we have not received any negative feedback.
Can you give examples of how body cameras have helped to de-escalate potentially dangerous situations? If our employees are wearing a body camera at a major station, such as Cologne Central Station, and encounter a physical altercation between passengers or problem customers, we have a step-by-step model for de-escalation that we apply. In this situation, the party is first informed that the body camera will be used, and then the camera is switched on so that the person can see themselves on the display as the measure progresses and still has the opportunity to back down. If the person continues to escalate the situation, the employee will finally announce that recording is starting. Up to this point in the recording process, we have found that in the majority of cases, the perpetrator withdraws from the act and realises that they have gone too far. As a result, we only have a small number of recordings. This also leads us to conclude that the measure is effective: assaults on employees wearing body cameras are actually declining. We can see this because, as already mentioned, we monitor assaults on “employees without body cameras” and “employees with body cameras” in the same traffic area. This comparison shows us that employees with body cameras are attacked less often than employees without body cameras. In addition, employees who use body cameras must also record this in their activity report, which is also included in the statistics. ## How does DB ensure that the use of body cameras complies with data protection regulations? In addition to the General Data Protection Regulation and the Federal Data Protection Act, our Group data protection policy sets out further requirements. We regularly check our systems and also subject them to special audits, from the findings of which we have drawn conclusions and thus ensure that we always act in compliance with data protection regulations. The second point is that we have no access to the data, only the Federal Police, which is a decisive factor in ensuring that we do not process the data ourselves. We only process the data by uploading it to the cloud via an encrypted VPN connection, after which the data is forwarded directly to the federal police. In addition, with NetCo software and hardware, we already have a data protection-compatible tool that meets all data protection requirements. The wearer has no access to the memory, as the data can only be accessed via upload. Each camera also has its own ID, which is stored in the system, so that anyone who finds the body cam has no way of accessing the camera. ## Are there any plans to expand or change the use of body cams at DB Security in the future?
I cannot answer this question with a simple “yes” or “no”; it always depends on how the situation develops. If we find that our employees are increasingly being attacked in certain areas of operation, we will use body cameras as a means of de-escalation and prevention. This means that we regularly review how the situation is developing and are currently in the process of reassessing certain areas of operation. It remains to be seen what the statistics will reveal in conjunction with data protection. If the result shows that the situation has worsened, we will also use body cameras in the relevant areas where it is appropriate and necessary, after consultation with the data protection authority and internal partners. The second point is that we do not have access to the data, only the Federal Police, which is a decisive factor, so we exclude the processing of the data for ourselves. We only process the data by uploading it to the cloud via an encrypted VPN connection, after which the data is forwarded directly to the Federal Police. In addition, with NetCo software and hardware, we already have a data protection-compatible tool that meets all data protection requirements. The wearer has no access to the memory, as the data can only be accessed via upload. Each camera also has its own ID, which is stored in the system, so that anyone who finds the body cam has no way of accessing the camera.