Germany begins conducting checks at all its land borders

German police officers stop a bus at the border between Germany and France in Kehl, Germany (Jean-Francois Badias/AP)

Germany has begun random checks at its borders with five Western European nations as it seeks to crack down on irregular migration, expanding a system of controls that are already in place at four other borders.

The police controls began at the borders with France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and Denmark on Monday morning and are due to continue for six months.