Interior Minister: Border controls are having an effect
According to Interior Minister Michael Stübgen, the permanent border controls between Brandenburg and Poland introduced in mid-October are proving successful. As recently as September, 1900 "arrivals" of refugees were registered in Brandenburg; in November, which is now coming to an end, fewer than 200 have been registered so far, said the CDU politician on the RBB program "Brandenburg aktuell" on Monday evening.
The federal police do not carry out continuous checks at every border crossing, but are on the move depending on the situation - depending on where many smugglers are currently active, he explained. "The federal police have a lot of experience in this area and are very successful."
At the moment, the smuggling organizations are taking a wait-and-see approach. After all, many smugglers have been arrested and vehicles confiscated in recent weeks. "The losses are so great that they are currently reducing their activities."
However, Stübgen believes that border controls, which often cause delays for commuters, should not be permanent. "Europe is designed so that we have free borders without controls. And I want to get back to that as soon as possible." However, the German government is called upon to advocate a reform of the Schengen system, i.e. freedom of movement between member states, at European level. This system is not working at the moment.
The decrease in refugee arrivals in Brandenburg, from over 1900 in September to fewer than 200 in November, is attributed to the effective border controls implemented by the federal police. These measures have also led to numerous smuggler arrests and vehicle confiscations, causing smuggling organizations to pause their activities due to significant losses.
Source: www.dpa.com
