More violent crimes were counted at train stations in Saxony-Anhalt last year. In 2022 there were a total of 463 crimes, a year earlier 294, as the Federal Police, based in Pirna, Saxony, announced at the request of the German Press Agency. These included, among other things, cases of threats and breaches of the peace, but also physical injuries, coercion or homicides, it said.
A spokesman for the federal police said that the federal police were increasingly deploying emergency services to focus on those crimes. To ward off dangers, carry out these overt and covert measures at train stations. In their work, the federal police coordinate with the state police and with Deutsche Bahn (DB).
The railways also collect their own numbers, but only at the federal level. The numbers published by the federal police on violent crimes at train stations are higher than their own numbers, said a DB spokeswoman on request. According to Deutsche Bahn, there were more attacks during the 9-euro ticket period – between June and August last year.
In general, Deutsche Bahn is also observing increasing pressure within society, which is causing tension and disrespect in public space and thus also in the train stations: “We are observing, like the police, fire brigade and rescue services, a continuously decreasing inhibition threshold for violence in society.”
Nationwide, 4,300 security guards are on the trains and in the stations every day, it said. The spokeswoman emphasized that the 5,700 DB train stations in Germany, where around 21 million people come together every day, are safe. Security forces would be supported in their work by around 5,500 federal police officers. In addition, the railways are investing, among other things, in the expansion of video surveillance in the stations, according to the spokeswoman. So far, more than 9,000 cameras have been installed. Deutsche Bahn invests a total of 180 million euros a year in the security infrastructure at the stations.
