Germany

German police to increase border checks

cde.news desk 30 September 2019, 05:29 · 1 min read

epa07747238 German Federal Police observe vehicles at the German-Austrian border on the motorway A8 near Bad Reichenhall, Bavaria, Germany, 29 July 2019. With the operation of a third control lane, the capacity of the border controls is to be increased in order to maintain the flow of traffic even during heavy traffic and thus relieve the border area around Salzburg of traffic. EPA-EFE/LUKAS BARTH-TUTTAS

Germany’s federal police are set to increase the number of random border checks, said Interior Minister Horst Seehofer late Sunday.

Germany’s borders stretch 3,700 kilometers. Border checks are not common in the Schengen area, which comprises most EU states. But Germany reintroduced checks along the border with Austria in 2015 amid a surge of refugees entering the country.

The move is designed to noticeably strengthen police presence at the borders and discourage “secondary migration,” the Interior Ministry said. Secondary migration is when migrants from non-EU countries move illegally between EU member states.

“Security begins at the borders,” said the Christian Social Union politician in a comment to the German tabloid Bild am Sonntag.

Earlier this week, Seehofer extended the presence of controls at the border between Austria and Germany until spring 2020. An Interior Ministry spokesman said police have continued to identify a large number of people illegally crossing the borders into the country.

Via DW

Filed under Germany Migration

Topics Border Germany Horst Seehofer Migration Schengen

German police to increase border checks

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