Bodycams on Swiss trains: will they keep trouble off the rails?

From September, Swiss Federal Railways transport police will be equipped with body cameras, also known as bodycams. These devices are being introduced to help de-escalate conflicts and increase accountability. This follows similar use in countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States. In these countries, bodycam implementation has been more or less successful, raising ethical questions surrounding transparency and accountability, such as who can view the footage, how is it stored and how is it shared. A ‘more aggressive’ society The Swiss Federal Railways cites an increase in aggression against its employees and passengers as the primary reason for the implementation of bodycams. “These social developments are a concern for us,” Moritz Weisskopf, a media speaker for the Swiss Federal Railways, tells SWI swissinfo.ch in an email. Bodycams are small cameras typically attached to the chest of a police or security officer. In a press release, Swiss Federal Railways ...