The Netherlands is further increasing checks along its borders with Belgium and Germany in an effort to catch more human smugglers, junior justice ministry Klaas Dijkhoff said on Monday.

All traffic is being told to slow down at border crossings so immigration police can decide which cars to stop and search for asylum seekers and illegal immigrants, broadcaster Nos reports.

The current controls, introduced in September, are not working sufficiently, Dijkhoff said. In particular, there has been an increase in asylum claims from people from safe countries who have no hope of getting accepted.

Delays

The go-slow at borders will lead to increased traffic jams and delays, the minister said. ‘We aim to make better agreements with Greece and Turkey to keep their European borders secure, but the Netherlands also has to take steps, he said. ‘This is unavoidable.’

Since September, the military police have been mounting random checks on the roads, at airports, on international trains and the waterways.

Any asylum seekers who are identified at the border are taken to an assessment centre by the police for their cases to be investigated.

Since the tougher border checks were introduced last year, 80 people have been arrested on suspicion of being involved in human trafficking, the ministry said on Friday.