The Department for Transport Operator (DFTO) has revealed that more than 4,700 body-worn camera kits (BWC) are being used by staff employed by train operators in public ownership.

The operators say BWC kits are a vital tool in deterring anti-social behaviour, increasing safety on the railways, and supporting any possible future legal investigations into incidents on the rail network.

According to research by Cambridge University carried out in 2019 and 2023, and in-between surveys, the use of BWC kits led to 28% fewer assaults on the rail network.

Other results from the research showed that 60% of railway workers felt safer wearing body-worn video cameras (BWV), and 80% of them thought they were easy to use. When prosecutions ensued, 67% of prosecutors found them useful, and in 60% of cases, successful prosecutions rose from 12% to 32% through the use of their audio and video footage.

In terms of specific operators, Northern has 1,300 kits, TransPennine Express is expanding its number to 700, c2c has 370, and South Western Railway has 848. Southeastern is in the process of rolling out 1,522, and the total for all publicly-owned operators is 4,740. In Scotland, ScotRail is also rolling out body-worn cameras, and by February 2024, 1,000 it had over 1,000 in use.

The British Transport Police supports the wearing of body-worn video, as it is a useful tool to protect staff and passengers, and is an important part of the railway industry’s zero-tolerance approach to abuse and aggression against its employees, By being both a visible deterrent and providing clear video and audio footage, they often provide better results than CCTV by accurately capturing what was said and done during an incident.

“While traditional CCTV remains important, BWCs offer a personal, mobile perspective that fixed surveillance systems cannot do. Their presence alone often acts as a deterrent to would-be offenders and the footage and audio recordings provide critical evidence that can support the judicial process and improve transparency. At the end of the day, this is about protecting staff and improving passenger confidence.”

Phil Jones, crime reduction manager at Northern