controls for those entering Germany such as this one near Poland now look set to become widespread across the country's 3,700 km long land border after ramping up security measures on several of its Frontiers last year amid a surge in firsttime Asylum requests Germany has announced temporary internal checks at all of the country's land borders these are the same measures that we are now taking with the Czech Republic Poland Austria and Switzerland we will then do this with France Belgium Luxembourg the Netherlands and Denmark I have ordered this today and have already informed the EU starting next Monday the controls will initially last for a period of 6 months the decision comes after a deadly mass stabbing last month in the western city of zolan claimed by the Islamic State group an attack which inflamed Fierce debate over Asylum rules when it transpired that the main suspect was a Syrian refugee facing deportation the government has sought a response to the outrage in the interior Minister's view stepping up border security will help prevent such incidents in the future this will serve to further limit irregular migration and protect against the acute dangers posed by islamist Terror and serious crime we are doing everything we can to better protect the people in our country against this these controls also enable effective entry refusal we have already had more than 30,000 entry refusals at Germany's external borders since last October in the wake of the attack the government also vowed to step up deportations of rejected Asylum Seekers as well as tougher knife laws Monday's decision comes days after the farri right anti-immigration alternative for Germany secured a historic election victory in the Eastern State of theia and over in Brandenburg Chancellor Olaf Schultz's SPD party is doing all it can to retain control over the government ahead of an election in two weeks