The German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her Christian Democratic Union party are proposing to take tougher actions against refugees who engage in criminal acts after a string of New Year's Eve sexual assaults and robberies in Cologne.

"This is in the interests of the citizens of Germany, but also in the interests of the great majority of the refugees who are here. Serial offenders who consistently, for example, return to theft or time and again insult women must count on the force of the law. "

It's reported that the proposals, once approved by the German Parliament, would strengthen the ability of police to conduct checks on identity papers.

In addition, the laws would exclude any foreigner from being granted asylum who had been convicted of crimes or sentenced to probation.

18 of the 31 suspects in the assaults were reportedly of Arab or North African origin, which has fuelled calls for tighter controls in Germany.

Germany received nearly 1.1 million migrants in 2015.