Taiwan Railway mulling use of body cameras after conductors assaulted

Taipei, May 23 (CNA) Taiwan Railway Corp. is considering equipping staff with body cameras following two incidents on Thursday in which conductors were assaulted by passengers.

There is general agreement within the organization that body cameras should be used, but there remain differences of opinion over the rules that would cover how they are used and managed, Taiwan Railway President Feng Hui-sheng (馮輝昇) said Friday.

The company will soon introduce the devices once a consensus is reached, Feng said at a press conference in Taipei held in response to Thursday's attacks on railway personnel.

Addressing the incidents, Feng said the company has "zero tolerance for violence" and will cover all legal costs for the two injured staff members.

One of the conductors was slapped by a passenger on a northbound train in Hualien County who was asked to get off the train for refusing to turn down the volume on his mobile phone.

The other conductor was struck in the head and abdomen by a drunk passenger at Sanyi Station in Miaoli County.

Both conductors underwent medical checks at hospitals and had returned home as of the press conference, according to Feng.

To prevent similar incidents, police will conduct more frequent patrols aboard trains and enforce the law more proactively, Feng said, citing discussions with the Railway Police Bureau and local police departments.

Neither of those policing measures are new.

The Railway Police Bureau has also proposed the use of pepper spray, which the company will take into consideration, Feng said.