Series of Attacks on Railway Workers and Police Officers During Ticket Inspections in Germany

German railways and uniformed services are grappling with a series of aggressive attacks occurring during routine ticket inspections. On Thursday at the main railway station in Chemnitz in Saxony, a 36-year-old man, a Turkish citizen, threatened a conductor in response to an inspection by shaping his hand into a gun and simulating a shot. Upon the arrival of federal police, he began insulting officers and throwing objects. During the escort to the station, he spat on police officers and headbutted one of them, causing facial injuries that required hospitalization. In another separate incident that occurred on Sunday on a train on the Kiel-Hamburg route, a 43-year-old passenger attacked a ticket inspector using pinching and kicking. The Neumünster District Court issued a sentence promptly, just four days later, convicting the perpetrator to four months imprisonment for intentional assault on a public official. „The swift verdict is intended to send a clear signal that violence against service personnel will not go unpunished.” — Sąd w Neumünster This case fits into a broader trend observed over recent years. The problem of violence against railway workers and uniformed personnel has intensified in Germany in recent years. In 2023, over 3,000 attacks on Deutsche Bahn staff were recorded, prompting authorities and trade unions to call for harsher penalties and increased protective measures. The day before the events in Chemnitz and Neumünster, on Wednesday, on a regional train in Lower Saxony, a 59-year-old man traveling without a valid ticket, after refusing to provide personal details, attacked a police officer called for assistance by punching him in the face. This officer also required medical treatment. These three incidents, occurring in different federal states within a few days, highlight the growing safety problem in public transport. Trade unions for railway workers have long warned about the need for better protection and decisive legal responses. In response to these events, the German Federal Ministry of the Interior and Deutsche Bahn are considering additional measures, including increased patrol presence at stations and on trains. Zapowiedziane działania: 1 marca 2026 — Planowane spotkanie DB związkami zawodowymi; 15 marca 2026 — Termin przedstawienia propozycji nowych przepisów