More than 330 body-worn cameras have been handed out to staff by East Midlands Railway to boost safety and capture criminal evidence

All station and on-train colleagues will now carry cameras, which also capture evidence of any incidents involving both them and passengers.

Staff will activate the cameras, for example during ticket checks, at busy stations, during events, or if a situation is escalating.

Any footage captured is automatically stored securely for 31 days. If required for an investigation, footage can be retained for longer and shared with the British Transport Police (BTP).

A study by the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) and the University of Cambridge shows that wearing body-worn cameras reduces the likelihood of assault by 47%, even when not recording.

Since April 2025, the BTP has recorded 60 crimes related to physical assaults and 136 related to verbal assaults against EMR staff, out of 21.8 million customer journeys.

EMR is working closely with the BTP and trade union representatives to ensure the rollout supports both staff and customer safety, reinforcing the message that there is no excuse for abuse on the railway.

Philippa Cresswell, Customer Experience Director, said: “Increasing the number of body-worn cameras is just one more way we are making our railway a safer place for everyone. Other measures include more specialist training, increased staff presence in key locations, new technology, and closer working with stakeholders.”