Migration - GdP demands better equipment for border controls
The German Police Union (GdP) is calling for better equipment and supplies for police officers during the border controls that have been extended since mid-October. "There is a lack of everything," said the GdP chairman for the federal police, Andreas Roßkopf, in the Rheinische Post newspaper. "There is a lack of professional equipment at the checkpoints, a lack of decent accommodation and insufficient funds to pay for colleagues' travel expenses."
At the moment, 16 hundred police units, i.e. more than 1,600 riot police plus additional forces from domestic agencies, are deployed at border controls. "There is an urgent need for action on the part of the government, namely that we need additional resources to be able to provide our colleagues on the ground with proper care and support."
Faeser affirms effectiveness
In mid-October, Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD) ordered stationary controls at the borders with Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland. The aim is to combat smuggling crime more effectively and limit irregular migration. Stationary internal border controls have been in place at the German-Austrian border since the fall of 2015.
Police unionist Roßkopf once again expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of the measure. "This is not the solution. These are people who are fleeing in dire need, from Afghanistan, Syria or Turkey," he said. These people would not be deterred by border controls. In addition, the smuggling organizations are highly professional and highly criminal. "Billions go over the counter. We cannot prevent this through border controls."
Faeser, on the other hand, told the Rheinische Post that the combination of mobile and stationary controls is effective. "Thanks to our temporary border controls and the closely coordinated measures that our neighboring countries are taking at their borders, the number of unauthorized entries has fallen from over 20,000 in October to around 7,300 in November - by more than 60 percent. Since mid-October, the federal police have caught around 340 people smugglers."
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- Despite the German Police Union (GdP) expressing concerns about inadequate equipment and funds during border controls, Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser, from Germany, maintains that the combined use of mobile and stationary controls is effective in combatting smuggling crime and limiting irregular migration.
- The German Police Union (GdP) chairman for the federal police, Andreas Roßkopf, criticized the effectiveness of the border control measures in the Rheinische Post, stating that people fleeing from countries such as Afghanistan, Syria, or Turkey are not deterred by such controls and that smuggling organizations are highly professional.
- In the face of the German Police Union's (GdP) calls for better resources and equipment, the deployment of 1,600 riot police units and additional forces from domestic agencies at border control points remains crucial in the ongoing efforts to combat smuggling crime and limit irregular migration.
- The Rheinische Post reported that Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser ordered stationary controls at the German borders with Poland, the Czech Republic, and Switzerland in mid-October, with the objective of reducing smuggling crime and controlling irregular migration.
- The establishment of stationary internal border controls at the German-Austrian border in 2015 has been considered a successful measure in limiting unauthorized entrances, particularly with the decrease in the number of entries from over 20,000 in October to around 7,300 in November, a reduction of over 60%.
Source: www.stern.de