Due to the increased number of people smugglers, the checks announced the day before by the Ministry of the Interior started at the border crossings to Slovakia on Thursday. The police employs 200 officers from Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland. So far there are only short waiting times when entering.
Every car is checked, said Raimund Schwaigerlehner of the state police of Lower Austria. The focus is on typical tractor units, including panel vans and mobile homes. Buses would also be checked. Specially trained officers will “look” at suspicious vehicles, according to the spokesman in Berg.
Checks also at border crossings for cyclists and pedestrians
Commuting should be affected as little as possible by the checks, emphasizes Schwaigerlehner. This was also the case with the APA’s local morning or early morning inspection in Berg (Bruck ad Leitha district) and Kittsee (Neusiedl am See district). Waiting a few minutes was the maximum. According to the spokesperson, checks are also carried out at border crossings for cyclists and pedestrians and on the Danube.
Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) justified Austria’s move by saying it must respond to possible alternative routes of the smugglers: “We have to react before the smugglers react.”
Controls initially introduced for ten days
The controls would initially be introduced for ten days – in accordance with Schengen regulations, Karner said before the cabinet on Wednesday. In total, eleven border crossings are checked, according to the minister. Above all, so-called tractor vehicles would be checked, he added. In Austria, there have been border controls at the internal borders of Schengen with Hungary and Slovenia since September 2015.
SPÖ and FPÖ look for “distraction”
However, the SPÖ and the FPÖ question the usefulness of the current measure. The Burgenland SPÖ considers Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) a “cheap diversionary campaign” and “turquoise show politics”. FPÖ security spokesman Hannes Amesbauer spoke of a “deceitful package” in a broadcast. He called for the implementation of a consistent “no-way policy”, including the suspension of the right to asylum and the legalization of rejections.
Czech Republic also started border controls with Slovakia
Meanwhile, the Czech Republic also started police checks on the border with Slovakia on Thursday evening, as announced. The Prague government decided to take the measure because of the sharp increase in illegal migration, especially from Syria.
The border controls had an effect in the first hours. From midnight to 8 am, 120 migrants and seven people smugglers were arrested along the entire Czech-Slovak border, the head of the Czech immigration police, Milan Majer, confirmed on Czech radio. According to Czech Interior Minister Vit Rakusan, the checks “in the first phase” should last until October 8.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
