Bavarian official urges fuller German border controls, says his state would like to pitch in

BERLIN – Bavaria's top security official is urging fuller border controls on the German-Austrian frontier and says his state would like to pitch in.

Germany introduced border controls Sept. 13 amid a huge influx of refugees and other migrants. Borders are the federal government's responsibility and federal police have been carrying out checks.

The conservative government in Bavaria, which borders Austria and where most migrants first set foot in Germany, has been particularly vociferous in demanding that the influx be reduced.

State interior minister Joachim Herrmann told Sunday's edition of the Welt am Sonntag newspaper that there are some border crossings federal police can't control for lack of staff. He said that "we would like to act ourselves here and control the borders."

However, Herrmann said the federal government rejected the idea.