An increase in graffiti and a 25 percent jump in attacks on railway personnel has prompted Swiss officials to implement tighter security measures on the rail network. A key component is a new team of officers modeled on the Guardian Angels to patrol the trains. These officers, known as “Big Brothers,” do not wear berets and are not volunteers like the 1980s Guardian Angels of New York, but their mandate is to prevent crime by talking troubled individuals out of it. Additional security measures include surveillance cameras in train cars, a hotline to transit police near emergency brake levers, and increased regular patrols on trains and in stations. But even without these efforts, Swiss trains are safe compared to other European rail systems. Crime is significantly higher on trains in France, Germany and Italy.
