Management approach and targets

Safety is a basic human need. For our customers, safety is an essential criterion when selecting the means of transport. For our employees, safety at the workplace is a prerequisite, and we also bear the responsibility for millions of people and goods on a daily basis. This is precisely why protection against attacks, theft and other criminal offenses along our production processes and the travel chain is the top priority of DB Group’s security organization. DB Group’s internal agencies are in constant dialog with the security authorities. Consistently sharing status information between the Group Security function and the Federal police headquarters is a round-the-clock task shared by DB Group and the Federal police in the rail security center. The six operations centers in DB Security’s regional divisions coordinate regional security issues and are available 24/7 to be contacted by the business units, non-Group train operating companies (TOC), and authorities. DB Group Security and the Federal police are constantly recruiting new employees and expanding their training capacities. In September 2022, around 100 trainees began their three-year apprenticeship to be safety and security specialists. This means that around 300 young people in DB Group nationwide meet the requirements for young talent in this area. In addition to education, continuous further education and training are essential prerequisites for a stable security situation and responsible commitment, taking into account the basic rights of every individual person. All of DB Security’s own security forces receive training four times a year. In 2022, a total of more than 93,000 hours of continuing education were completed. In addition to legal topics, including human rights, de-escalation and self-defense, the agenda also includes disseminating intercultural skills. The participants alone ensure a diversity of perspectives and cultures: people from more than 50 countries work at DB Security. The same requirements apply to the continuing education of the security forces commissioned at subcontractors.

In 2022, the number of criminal offenses affecting DB Group and its customers increased overall (+20%). One particular noticeable factor is the increase in the enforcement of house rights on Group-owned property (+35%), which is also due to the increased presence of security forces on trains and in stations and, compared to the previous year, can also be seen in the context of the increasing number of passengers and the increasingly difficult implementation of Covid-19 regulations. The total number of metal thefts (+20%) and ticket machine break-ins (+6%) was at a low level overall, but nonetheless increased. On the other hand, a slight decline was recorded in graffiti offenses (–1%).

Legally binding convictions by security forces in connection with damage to customers or passengers are not known.

Security at DB Group

DB Group spends about € 180 million annually on the security of its customers and employees. As part of a law enforcement partnership around 5,500 Federal police officers and around 4,300 DB Group security personnel work together, with technical support, to combat crime and disruptive activity and increase the security of our customers and employees. The Group-wide Safe travelµ 68 program brings together measures that notably increase security for both employees and customers. An increased presence of security personnel on selected long-distance and local lines increases the sense of security and deters offenders. On DB Long-Distance in particular, significantly more security services were engaged than in previous years. For the first time, these additional services were available not only on special event dates, such as football match-day transport, but also on high-frequency travel days as part of regular operation. For example, customers at DB Regional benefited from a total of almost 180,000 hours of additional security personnel presence beyond the deployments regulated in the transport contracts. Almost 100,000 additional hours of presence were provided on long-distance trains. This is a doubling in both areas compared to the previous year and thus demonstrates DB Group’s commitment to meeting employee and stakeholder requirements and making the railway safer for customers and employees.

The effects of the Covid-19 pandemic also resulted in additional challenges for DB employees in 2022. There was still an obligation to wear nose and mouth coverings on DB Group transport vehicles. As in previous years, enforcement of this obligation fell to train staff and security forces. As the acceptance for the obligation to wear masks decreases in general, the proportion of conflicts that resulted in attacks on employees has increased in this context. In addition to escalations at ticket controls, conflicts due to the enforcement of the mask rules are the next largest cause of attacks on employees.

We have involved stakeholder groups in designing new security measures and commissioning new deployment concepts. The stakeholder groups expressed a high degree of support for the measures that were defined and implemented. The common goal is to protect our employees and customers.

24/7 threat management

Threat management has been available to employees 24/7 for the past two years to help with threats and personal stress. The number and diversity of reports confirm the success of this instrument. In 2022, the threat management team recorded more than 50 cases which resulted in further support. Dozens of instances of further contact with those affected were facilitated or supported. Whether employees receive a threat before, during or after their shift, or if they are experiencing stress in their personal lives, Specially trained employees receive their reports and decide how to best support them. Possible measures range from immediate police deployment and preemptive staffing measures to providing advisory services and having security personnel or other security experts clarify unclear situations.

Continuous expansion of video technology in trains and stations

The use of video technology is a decisive component for greater security. Around 9,000 cameras are currently in use at 800 stations. This means an increase of around 1,000 cameras in two years. By the end of 2024, we will increase the number of video cameras on platforms to around 11,000 cameras. The new cameras record high-resolution images. The Federal Government and DB Group are focusing on the expansion of video technology and are investing around €180 million in this field. The Federal police have exclusive access to the footage saved. Every major railway station in Germany will be equipped with modern video technology by the end of 2024. There is also an increase in the number of cameras on regional and S-Bahn (metro) trains. Currently, more than 45,000 video cameras are in use and provide clear evidence when required in cases. This means that the interior of more than two-thirds of DB Regional’s local transport fleet is video monitored.

Prevention work

In 2022, DB Group’s prevention work received a lot of attention from the authorities, associations and other stakeholders in addition to its focus on the topic of dangers at railroad facilities. Strengthening the network and developing new communication channels makes prevention visible and successful. Six prevention teams are deployed in stations and railway facilities to raise awareness of correct behavior in railway facilities, explain the dangers of railway operations and work together with the Federal police to prevent crime. Specially qualified employees enter into dialog with people on railroad facilities and in stations. Another focus is on work in schools. The prevention teams attend schools and youth organizations and organize information events for children and teenagers on the rail sector. For the first time, multiplier training sessions for teaching staff were included in the statutory continuing education course for teachers in cooperation with the education authorities in the Federal states.

Presence of and close cooperation with the Federal police

We are continuing to steadily increase the presence of our own security officers. The two-person and on-call teams, which are now formed from about 4,300 DB security personnel members, are being supported in all regions by Mobile Support Groups (MSGs) which are specially qualified for challenging deployments. In addition to the requirements stipulated in transport contracts, this also helps to fulfill safety requirements on trains and in stations. As part of the law enforcement partnership, cooperation between DB Group security personnel and Federal police officers has been further intensified. Joint exercises, the arrangement of qualifications for use in the rail sector and the joint planning and handling of special situations, for example in the case of match-day fan travel, are an expression of the law enforcement partnership and make a concrete contribution to greater security in the rail sector.

Attacks on employees

The enforcement of Covid-19-related rules has led to a sustained high potential for conflict for customer-facing employees. Once again, with increasing passenger numbers, Covid-19-related situations have resulted in a shift in focus and necessitated an adaptation of safety concepts. Our employees have been attacked about 3,140 times nationwide in 2022 (including threats and attempts, +22% compared to the previous year). Around a quarter of cases are related to the implementation of Covid-19-related rules and behavioral standards. The most frequently affected professions are the train attendants, with around half, and the security services, with one-third of cases. The decline in the level of impact among security forces (–25%) is due to further targeted training and the use of bodycams and guard dogs. Employees with bodycams or guard dogs were almost never attacked.

Building block Safe Travel

With the Safe travel employee building block, employees defined safety as a core area of action for DB Group. Thanks to cooperation between the Group Security function and the business units, and coordination with employees, measures are being implemented to increase the safety of employees and customers: in 2022, activities focused on the development of the Group-wide, Corporate Security Platform (CSP). The CSP allows faster recognition of danger situations, quicker and more targeted reactions and situational information from continuous evaluation can be incorporated directly into security measures and long-term security concepts. The platform has been put into real-time operation in several steps since autumn 2022. In 2023, all employees who have contact with customers will have direct access to the platform.

Südkreuz security station

DB Group and the Federal Police are continuously developing their security concepts. The joint research project has been established at Berlin Südkreuz station. The subject of testing and trials includes, for example, an illuminated platform edge for better orientation and an app that passengers can use to request support. In a scientific study, software that could help to identify potential hazardous situations and customers’ need for help in the future is also being developed and tested under real conditions.

Social projects affecting safety in stations

DB Group Chairman of the Management Board, Dr. Richard Lutz; Federal Minister of the Interior, Nancy Faeser; and Federal Transport Minister, Dr. Volker Wissing, have agreed to expand cooperation between DB Group, the Federal police and the train station welfare center (Bahnhofsmission). The aim is to reach a common understanding of safetyoriented social work to increase objective and subjective security for all station users. The drafting of the agreement provides for a regular dialog and exchange of ideas between the parties involved, as well as internships and continuing education in order to change perspectives. Trainees at DB Security regularly receive sessions on these special social skills. The aim of the project is to resolve the often-assumed contradiction between security and social work.