Germany’s police union has voiced concern over the growing strain caused by intensified border controls introduced to combat illegal migration, Spiegel reports.
Union chief Andreas Roßkopf stated that the current workload has reached its limits:
We’re only managing thanks to adjusted shift schedules, suspended training programs, and reduced leave. It’s clear that the police can only maintain this level of checks for a few more weeks, he said.
Earlier, Spiegel obtained an internal memo dated early May, in which doubts were also raised about the police’s ability to continue border checks at the scale mandated by the Interior Ministry.
Following the formation of Germany’s new government, the Interior Minister ordered stricter border controls. The new policy includes turning back asylum seekers at the border if they have already applied for asylum in another EU country.
Migration policy was one of the central issues in Germany’s recent snap elections. The shift in approach is already visible in the statistics: for the first time in years, Germany has lost its position as the leading EU country in terms of asylum applications.
