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.
Popular Stories
More
Aging society
No house generation: the impossibility of buying property in Switzerland
In Switzerland more people are being referred to electrical therapies or psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. Are there similar approaches where you live?
Significantly more civil aviation incidents logged in Switzerland
This content was published on
Switzerland saw around 20% more commercial and recreational aviation safety incidents reported to the Federal Office of Civil Aviation.
St Moritz most expensive Swiss address for luxury homes
This content was published on
St Moritz is the most expensive Swiss municipality for luxury real estate, with square metre costs starting at around CHF43,000.
Geneva university Palestinian demonstration ongoing
This content was published on
University of Geneva continues to prohibit access to areas occupied by members of the Student Coordination for Palestine group.
This content was published on
United States companies expanded their operations in Switzerland at a much higher rate than European counterparts last year.
This content was published on
Switzerland approves five electricity reserve plants powered by CO₂ neutral fuel, with a total capacity of 583 megawatts.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
How to behave on a Swiss train
This content was published on
Jump on, ride to your stop, hop off — without offending anybody. Sounds easy, but it’s not, warns a guru of Swiss transport etiquette.
This content was published on
Two shoulder cameras were in operation on Monday in both stations. The Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner agreed to their use. The aim is not only to increase security for transport police, but also to use the images for evidence. Police who are equipped with cameras must be clearly identifiable, and they must inform…
This content was published on
Since 2009, the Swiss Federal Railways have had their own dedicated police corps. Photographer Didier Ruef documented the daily life of one of these special units in southern Switzerland.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.