Surveiller par les bases de données : construction et gestion des faits de sécurité et de sûreté dans le milieu ferroviaire

How can the use of databases contribute to the management of both safety (accident prevention) and security (crime prevention)? These two types of risk are typically studied separately, since the former relates to accidental events while the latter is concerned with intentional acts. However, bringing the two together makes it possible to explore similarities in their management, despite the differences in the type of risk. Through a case study of France's National Railway Company, this article shows how the public firm is using databases to rationalise its crime prevention policy on the basis of its previous experience in accident prevention, through a comparison of how staff in both domains collect, process and use data. The article highlights a shift in the company's security policy, as it uses databases to move crime handling from an “uncertainty” to a “risk” management strategy. However, the homogenisation of the data input process at national level reduces the instrumental value of the data at the local scale. The article finally shows that the constitution and use of data depend partly on the historicity and spatiality of risk.