Vienna, 28 December 2022 - For two years now, specially qualified railway employees have been analysing video images of criminal offences at the request of the police and quickly providing the police with searchable footage - a real success story. ÖBB has more than 7,000 cameras at stations, stops and other facilities as well as another 5,500 cameras in passenger trains. This makes ÖBB stations and trains particularly safe places.
The new ÖBB Public Security Group formed in 2021 to analyse video data has become an important partner for the police. Whereas police investigators used to have to sift through thousands of hours of video footage themselves in search of possible criminals, this task is now performed by specially trained ÖBB employees. The "ÖBB investigators" know railway stations, trains and the locations of the video cameras very well and can therefore search the video material in a much more targeted manner in the event of an incident. In this way, the police are quickly provided with pictures that can be used for a search.
Success story ÖBB Video evaluation
The video data requests of the police have been continuously increasing for years. While there were "only" 2,400 video requests by the police in 2017, the number rose to around 3,200 police video data requests in 2021. In the period from January to November 2022, more than 3,600 requests were registered and processed.
The number of video images that ÖBB Public Security has been able to successfully evaluate since 2021 is impressive: a total of almost 2,000 suspects were viewed on video images under very strict data protection regulations and the image material was handed over to the police
Time is the main factor
Especially in the case of internationally operating groups of offenders, such as suspected serial thieves, the immediate video evaluation after a reported crime is indispensable, as the suspects usually continue their journey after successful hauls. The specialists in video analysis at ÖBB are then often in direct contact with the police investigators and can thus provide immediate assistance in the search.
"The Austrian Federal Railways are an important and reliable partner for the police in matters of security. Especially the investigators of the ÖBB Video Evaluation make an important contribution to successful police work," says Minister of the Interior Gerhard Karner.
ÖBB CEO Andreas Matthä, also underlines the successful cooperation of the executive with ÖBB: "There must be no place for criminals at the station and on the train. That is why the intensive cooperation with the police is so important. The video evaluation by the specially trained and qualified ÖBB employees makes an important contribution and is already a success story."
Unfortunately, the "ÖBB investigators" discover time and again how easy it often is for thieves. Cash, credit cards and other valuables should always be carried close to the body in locked pockets
Cooperation Together.Safe
For many years, the Federal Ministry of the Interior and ÖBB have had a cooperation agreement within the framework of the initiative "Together.Safe". The intensive cooperation has been very successful. Police officers are frequently supported by ÖBB security personnel during their operations in the railway area, as special dangers lurk especially in the track area. The police and ÖBB also focus on joint campaigns to increase objective safety and the subjective feeling of safety.
For further information, please contact:
Departmental Spokesperson Federal Ministry of the Interior
ressortsprecher@bmi.gv.at
Telephone: +43 1 53 126-901562