National police chief Dieter Romann has given a favorable initial assessment of the tightened border controls and dismissed the police union’s concerns about overburdened personnel. "Why shouldn't the Federal Police, with around 56,000 employees, achieve what we used to achieve with 10,000 or 30,000 officers?" Romann told the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag. Romann said he has spoken with all of his counterparts several times. "With some of them weekly. I've received a lot of support for our measures. One person put it simply: 'About time!'" The Federal Police permanently has around 9,800 officers in their regular stations along the national borders, Romann said. Germany ramps up border checks