Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Fatal Attack on Train Conductor

Five months after a fatal attack on a train conductor, the Zweibrücken Regional Court found the defendant guilty of assault resulting in death and sentenced him to 10 years in prison.

A routine ticket inspection on a regional train in Rhineland-Palatinate in February proved fatal for 36-year-old train conductor Serkan Calar.

The 24-year-old defendant was traveling without a ticket and refused to show his ID. When Calar asked him to leave the train and lightly touched him in the process, the defendant struck Calar so violently in the head with his fists that the conductor died two days later in the hospital from a brain hemorrhage.

Footage from the train's surveillance camera was shown during the trial.

The victim's family considers the guilty verdict too lenient and intends to have it reviewed by the Federal Court of Justice. Their attorney, Yalcin Tekinoglu, said the family is not solely concerned with a harsher sentence. Rather, he said, the verdict must send a clear message against the increasing violence towards public transport employees.

Significant increase in aggression

A member of the Federal Police testified at the trial that the defendant had already been removed from the high-speed train from Paris to Frankfurt am Main in Kaiserslautern that same day. The reason given was "verbally aggressive behavior." "It was just another run-of-the-mill incident for us," the officer said. The Federal Police is responsible, among other things, for railway security.

New figures from the Interior Ministry also suggest this was another "run-of-the-mill incident." According to the figures, threats and attacks against railway employees and Federal Police officers are commonplace in Germany. In the first five months of the year alone, 1,630 railway employees and 4,672 federal police officers were victims of criminal offenses. Last year, an average of five physical attacks on railway employees were recorded every day. That number has already risen to eight this year.

Reflection of high levels of stress

Where does this aggression come from, especially on trains?

Leon Walter, a violence researcher at Bielefeld University, told DW: "These trends are consistent with what people in the healthcare system, the fire department, and the police are saying: they all report an increase in hostility." He says it is a phenomenon affecting society as a whole, linked to the high levels of stress many people experience in their daily lives. For some, violence is "a last resort."

Added to this is the enclosed space of a train, which according to Walter, can create a "perfect storm" during a ticket inspection. People who are already prone to aggressive behavior and are caught without a valid ticket cannot run away — they cannot "escape the situation." In rare cases, this can lead to violence.

Train conductors also often bear the brunt of passengers' frustration over the increasing delays on the Deutsche Bahn: "Railway employees are simply the most accessible target."

More body cams offered to staff

Deutsche Bahn is now facing increasing difficulties in finding train crew members due to aggressive behavior by passengers, says Walter. "Many are considering whether they should look for another job. Workplace violence is a major factor here. Many of these employees also feel they lack the necessary support on how to handle such situations."

Evelyn Palla, the head of Deutsche Bahn, has already taken one step in response to the fatal incident. Employees who interact with customers can be equipped with a camera attached to their uniforms — if they request one. Until now, this had only been the case on regional trains, but it has now been expanded to long-distance services as well. This applies to train attendants, employees in on-board restaurants, and staff at the so-called DB Lounges in train stations.

The aim is to help employees better document assaults by passengers. Body cameras "have a preventive effect and serve to deter and reduce acts of violence as well as to preserve evidence," according to Deutsche Bahn.

This measure is one of several included in the so-called Action Plan for Greater Safety on the Rails. Others include the hiring of 200 additional security personnel and the further development of an emergency button, which employees can already use to discreetly alert the control center in dangerous situations.

'Never touch a passenger'

Meanwhile, Walter places particular emphasis on training staff. He says the most important factor is how train attendants behave in a conflict situation. It is especially important that "a passenger should never be touched or restrained."

Conductors must also have the option to refuse to check tickets if they feel that the situation could get out of hand. "Our research shows that many believe they have to go through with it regardless of the consequences," said Walter.

This is where employers and lawmakers must step in: "Railroad companies and the federal government should establish regulations that make it clear that safety always takes priority."

This article has been translated from German.