In a nationwide comparison of train stations, the second most violent crimes were recorded at Hanover Central Station last year. When it comes to gun crime, Hanover is hardly better off with third place. This emerges from a response from the federal government to a request from the AfD parliamentary group. This means that the main train station in the capital of Lower Saxony performs worse than would be expected given its size: According to Deutsche Bahn, the station is only the seventh largest in Germany in terms of the number of passengers.

Overall, according to their own information, the federal police found more than 23,000 violent crimes at German train stations and on trains last year. The crime rate was also high at some train stations, which are not among the stations with the most travelers and visitors. The frequency of inspections also has an impact on the number of offenses detected.

AfD MP Martin Hess claimed travelers were no longer safe at German stations and on trains. He called for more police presence at train stations.

A railway spokeswoman said that in addition to the federal police officers, around 4,300 DB security forces also ensured the safety of passengers, visitors and employees. Another pillar of the security concept is video surveillance. The number of cameras will increase from around 9,000 cameras to around 11,000 by the end of 2024.

The Federal Government is currently voting on a reform of the Federal Police Act. A controversial point is the question of which rooms the police can use at the train stations.