A half dozen cameras can be recognized in the area of the train station and the number of new ones appears at most one or two. There are more video cameras at the train station book store than in the entire train station, including the hall and platform areas.

Video surveillance at the Hauptbahnhof took on a new dimension of importance after the discovery of an explosive device at Track 1 in late 2012. At that time, a camera installed there had not recorded any images. This has contributed to a prolonged trial against a Bonn Islamist because evidence was not so easy to come by. The only recorded pictures investigators could rely on came from a nearby McDonald’s surveillance camera. And since then, authorities ordered McDonald’s to remove the camera due to data protection laws.

A spokesperson from DB says the video technology serves the purpose of “primarily observation and monitoring of the operations.” When it comes to security and law enforcement, that falls under the jurisdiction of the federal police, who would then have access to the video.

DB does not give out information about the various locations but altogether there are around 5,000 cameras at 700 stations. A further 27,000 are installed in trains. According to the spokesperson, another 85 million euro will be invested in modernization and development of video technology until 2023. It is not clear what impact this will have on Bonn.

The Stadtwerke Bonn (SWB) responsible for public transportation is more forthcoming with statistics. Spokesperson Michael Henseler says “At the S-Bahn (light rail) stops there are 310 cameras installed, 24 of them at the underground station of the Hauptbahnhof. But not all stops are equipped with cameras”. Similarly, there are no cameras at the tram and bus stops. These are on public property, which means data protection kicks in.

Inside buses and rail, it looks different: Nearly all new 99 S-Bahn are equipped with cameras and in all 199 SWB buses, there is video surveillance. They are also in elevators at the stations.

Whoever has the idea that the cameras are all monitored in real time would be mistaken, however. Pictures are recorded and kept for 48 hours and only given to legal authorities upon demand. After the beating death of Niklas P., there was a call to install cameras in critical areas around the city. Camera monitoring is a sensitive topic in Germany, however and it would have to be proved that it is a focal point for criminal behavior.

A task force was put together to discuss this issue, including members of the local and federal police, city administration and public utilities officials. Bonn police spokesperson Robert Scholten says a result from this task force is expected in November.

(Orig. text: Rüdiger Franz)