Years ago when the Basque society demanded the creation of their own police force they did it in the hopes that all the other police forces deployed by Spain in Euskal Herria would go away. That dream never came through.
What he have today is that Euskal Herria is one of the regions in Europe with more police officers per citizen. And now, the Ertzaintza (Basque police) is being used more and more to participate in the repressive operations against the Basque citizenry.
The Telegraph has published this article about the issue:
Therefore, the police forces deployed in Euskal Herria are little less that weapons in the large arsenal at Madrid's disposition against the Basque people.
What he have today is that Euskal Herria is one of the regions in Europe with more police officers per citizen. And now, the Ertzaintza (Basque police) is being used more and more to participate in the repressive operations against the Basque citizenry.
The Telegraph has published this article about the issue:
Police rivalries harm Eta hunt
By Isambard Wilkinson in San Sebastian
Last Updated: 8:44PM BST 30 Aug 2002
Cries of "assassins", "Spanish traitors" and "pim, pam, pum" - imitating the sound of shooting - were shouted at Basque police officers this week as they closed the offices of Batasuna, the political wing of the Eta Basque separatist terrorists.
"There we were, some of us Basque nationalists, being abused and attacked and attacking other nationalists. We can be killed by Eta and at the same time reviled by Spain," said Pepelu Alkain, a member of the Ertzaintza, the Basque regional police force.
He spoke of problems policing the area with Europe's most active terrorists and greatest incidence of terrorism. The Basque region, with a population of two million, has a high level of policing, with one officer for every 140 citizens, against the European average of one to 240.
Four different police corps were operating this week: local, regional, national and the militarised Guardia Civil. But officers admit that the extra manpower is not always used efficiently and that these forces are often at odds.
Critics say more time is spent on infighting than combating the terrorists. "As Basque nationalist I am vilified by my Spanish colleagues for my views," said Mr Alkain.
Officers representing the 8,000 Guardia Civil and national police have claimed numerous successes against Eta, arresting terrorist cells and seizing explosives. But they say the Basque police force of 7,000 is held back by the regional government and is to blame for police disunity.
Basque officers have admitted routinely withholding information from other officers under instruction from the government. There is tension in the force, with confrontations between nationalists such as Mr Alkain and pro-Spanish colleagues.
In recent years six Eta terrorists have infiltrated the Basque force, leading to the deaths of policemen, the theft of arms and Eta members slipping through police nets.
There was outrage recently when a Basque police officer suspected of passing on police information on potential Eta targets was transferred to the traffic division.
The Basque police force's relationship with radical nationalists is unclear. Before its officers were ordered to fulfil a court order to close Batasuna's offices, Eta had killed 15 of its members since 1992, four of them last year.
Mikel Uribe, an Ertzaintza chief, died after being shot in the throat and neck at a weekly gastronomic club, a Basque tradition.
Some accuse the regional government of appeasing Eta and say they have no belief in a police or military solution. Roberto del Agua, a pro-Spanish Basque police union leader, said: "They want to vindicate their view that the conflict can only be won through political means, not security or police."
The Spanish newspaper ABC reported last year that Basque police files containing evidence on leaders of the PNV, the Basque nationalist party, restraining the force had been destroyed. One officer said: "It comes down to a basic list of which Batasuna leaders cannot be touched."
The result of all this is widespread distrust of the police and a huge rise in the number of bodyguards protecting politicians, academics and journalists. Some 1,000 people are protected by 5,500 bodyguards in the region.
This year Guardia Civil officers shot dead the bodyguard of a politician while stalking robbers. The bodyguard had mistaken the officers for Eta terrorists and opened fire.
Therefore, the police forces deployed in Euskal Herria are little less that weapons in the large arsenal at Madrid's disposition against the Basque people.
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