View source for Ertzaintza

{{short description|Police force in the Basque Autonomous Community, in Spain}}
{{More citations needed|date=October 2007}}
{{Infobox law enforcement agency
|agencyname      = People's Guard
|nativename      = {{lang|eu|Ertzaintza}}
|commonname      = 
|abbreviation    = 
|badge           = Escudo de la Ertzaintza.svg
|badgecaption    = Badge of the {{Lang|eu|Ertzaintza}}
|patch           = 
|motto           = 
|mottotranslated = 
|formedyear      = 1982
|formedmonthday  = 
|preceding1      = {{lang|eu|Ertzaña}}
|employees       = 
|budget          = US$634.34 million (€570 million) (2015)
|flag            = Flag_of_the_Ertzaintza.svg
|flagcaption     = Flag of the {{Lang|eu|Ertzaintza}}
|country         = Spain
|countryabbr     = 
|national        = 
|divtype         = Autonomous Community
|divname         = Basque Country
|subdivtype      = 
|subdivname      = 
|map             = 
|mapcaption      = 
|governingbody   = Home Office of the Basque Government
|constitution1   = [[Statute of Autonomy of the Basque Country]]
|police          = Yes
|local           = Yes
|headquarters    = [[Erandio]] ([[Biscay]]), [[Basque Country (autonomous community)|Basque Country]], [[Spain]]
|sworn           = 8,000
|sworntype       = Ertzainas
|unsworn         = 
|minister1name   = [[Estefanía Beltrán de Heredia]]
|minister1pfo    = Basque Minister of Security
|chief1name      = [[Gervasio Gabirondo]]<ref>[http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2012/12/22/paisvasco/1356192378.html «Beltrán de Heredia rescata a Gervasio Gabirondo para dirigir la Ertzaintza»] (Spanish)</ref>
|chief1position  = Director
|unittype        = Division
|unitname        = {{collapsible list |Citizen Security |Criminal Investigations |Intelligence }}
|officetype      = Police Station
|officename      = {{collapsible list |Vitoria-Gasteiz |Llodio/Laudio |Laguardia/Guardia |Durango |Balmaseda |Sestao |Bilbao/Bilbo |Beasain |Zumarraga |Tolosa |Azkoitia |Zarautz |Hernani |Donostia/San Sebastián |Errenteria |Irun |Eibar |Bergara |Ondarroa | Gernika |Muskiz |}}
|stationtype     = Station
|stations        = 20
|boat1type       = Boats
|boats1          = 9
|aircraft1type   = Helicopters
|aircraft1       = 2
|anniversary1    = Ertzaintza Day (May 16)
|anniversary2    = Honouring Ertzaintza Victims of Terrorism (June 14)
|website         = http://www.ertzaintza.eus
|footnotes       = 
}}

[[File:Edificio Ertzaintza.jpg|right|thumb|275px|Ertzaintza Headquarters in [[Vitoria-Gasteiz]]]]

The '''{{lang|eu|Ertzaintza}}''' ({{IPA|eu|erts̻aints̻a|lang}}, {{langx|en|Public Guard}} or ''People's Guard'') is the [[Autonomous communities of Spain|autonomous]] [[police force]] for the [[Basque Country (autonomous community)|Basque Country]], largely replacing the Spanish [[Policía Nacional (Spain)|Policía Nacional]] (National Police) and [[Guardia Civil]] (Civil Guard), being the main law enforcement and security force in the Basque Country. An Ertzaintza member is called an ''ertzaina'' ({{IPA|eu|erts̻aɲa|IPA}}).

== History ==

=== Origins ===
The origins of the current Ertzaintza can be traced back to the old municipal [[militia]]s, which were popular organizations at the service of local bodies, created to satisfy the need for public safety. But it was not until the 19th century when the almost permanent police corps of a professional nature were created.

It was a response to the [[banditry]] caused by the continuous social and political upheaval occurring from the end of the 18th century and well into the 19th. The decisive argument for its configuration was the [[First Carlist War]], when the ''Miqueletes'' of [[Biscay]] and [[Guipuzcoa]] and the ''Miñones'' of [[Alava]] commenced their activities.

Once the urgencies of the war were overcome, the [[Spanish government]] attempted to recover the functions carried out by these regional forces and transfer them to the [[Civil Guard (Spain)|Civil Guard]], which was created in 1844. Nevertheless, due to difficulties encountered when recruiting forces for this corps in the Basque provinces, plus the pressure posed by the other regional Governments, the very same regional forces were able to more or less carry on with their task.

=== After the Carlist Wars ===
After the end of the [[Second Carlist War]] (1876), the Spanish government wished to curtail the regional autonomy. The Basque police forces had to adapt to this new centralist tendency, and these changes mostly manifested themselves in a reduction of personnel & operational capabilities.
 
When the [[Second Spanish Republic]] was proclaimed in 1931, political activity surged and so did the Basque claim to re-establish regional liberties that had been abolished in 1876. Thus, various projects for the Autonomy Statute were promoted.

On October 1, 1936, during the [[Spanish Civil War]], the [[Basque Statute of Autonomy]] come into force, leading to the establishment of an autonomous government with actual authority over the provinces of Biscay and Guipuzcoa.
One of the priorities of the new government was the re-establishment of public order.
[[File:Ibaigane Palace.jpg|thumb|Ibaigane Palace in 2018.|alt=Photograph of a three-storey stone building. A stair leads to a porch with two grated windows on the sides on the ground floor. Three balconies on the first floor align with the porch and windows of the ground floor. There are five windows on the second floor. Three chimneys are visible on the roof. Before the building, there is red cement, looking darker because it is we. There is a tree in the middle of the cement. To the right there is a lawn with a white plastic cow with red stripes. Further there are three trees and parked cars. To the right a taller modern brick building overlooks the palace.]]
The Basque Interior Minister [[Telesforo Monzón]] set up several institutions, such as the International Police Force, the Maritime Police and the Public Order Body. Their main task was the creation of a police force named ''Ertzaña'' (a Basque neologism for "People care"), with 500<ref name="Auñamendi">[http://www.euskomedia.org/aunamendi/40740 Ertzaña] in the Spanish-language [[Auñamendi Encyclopedia]]</ref> infantry and 400<ref name="Auñamendi"/> motorised (''Ertzañ Igiletua'') men, totalling joint forces of around 1,200 agents.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20131230232549/http://museopoliciavasca.euskadi.net/wps/portal/museopoliciavasca/!ut/p/c5/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3gXDydTo2AzN0tLk8BggyBHF28LAwgAykeaxRvgAI4G2HSbUlW3v49nmGmgsaO7o4l3WJihd6irIUye6i5H0h0OCin8toPk8ZmPzQZzhA1-Hvm5qfrBqXn6kfoFuaGhoREGmQFZ5YoAMzWvGw!!/dl3/d3/L2dJQSEvUUt3QS9ZQnZ3LzZfREhCNTJTNkY5OTRRUzBSQTJMODAwMDAwMDA!/ Ertzaina 1936], Museo Policia Vasca</ref>
Most of the British [[Riley Motor]] cars acquired for the motorised police did not arrive due to the [[Non-Intervention Pact]]. 
The majority of the Ertzaña were Basque speakers from the [[Basque Nationalist Party]]<ref name="Auñamendi"/>
Its headquarters were in Bilbao, at the [[Ibaigane Palace]] (currently the headquarters of [[Athletic Bilbao]]).

When the war on the Basque front concluded, the Ertzaña was dissolved, and [[Francisco Franco|Franco's]] Nationalist regime pretended that this institution had never existed in the first place.

Having allied themselves with the losing [[Second Spanish Republic|Republican]] side, Biscay and Guipuzcoa were considered "traitor provinces" and most of their autonomy was annulled.
However, since at the outbreak of the civil war Alava and [[Navarre]] had thrown their lot in with the Nationalists, the ''Miñones'' and ''Miqueletes'' continued on duty, with assignments such as traffic patrols and custody of the regional institutions.

=== During transition ===

After the [[Spanish transition to democracy]], the autonomous Basque Government was restored. Its government once again took up the spirit of the Ertzaña of 1936 to design, in 1980, the new autonomous police force of the Basque Country, the Ertzaintza (a more grammatical form). Previously, a Royal Decree re-established the "Forales" and the "Miqueletes" in Biscay and Guipuzcoa and gave a new configuration to the "Miñones" corps in Alava. These institutions were incorporated into the new Basque Police Force.

[[Navarre]], during the events surrounding [[Spain's 1978 Constitution]], ended up with the status of [[Autonomous communities of Spain|Autonomous Community]] and was not lumped in with the Basque autonomous community, and its police force ([[Policía Foral]]) remains independent of the Ertzaintza.

===Officers===

The first officers were members of the [[Basque Nationalist Party]]. Although the law required that Ertzaintza commissioned officers had to be previous members of the Spanish army or the State police forces, this was often ignored.

This new police force, made up of Basque citizens, developed in an organized manner from 1982, and was progressively deployed starting from the countryside towards the cities.
===Equipment===
Like many other Spanish Military and Police agencies Ertzaintza issues the [[H&K USP]] Compact chambered in [[9mm]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.erne.es/Web/Modulos/Medio/Medio.aspx?Cod=293|title = ErNE}}</ref>
[[File:Matrícula automovilística España 1971 ᶓ-1660 Ertzaintza.png|thumb|Ertzaintza car license plate.|alt=A white rectangle with a black border. In black, E – 1660. The E does not match the type of the numbers. It has a long curled tail.]]
Ertzaintza vehicles display [[Spanish license plate]]s with a stylized E and a number.
They are also registered in the general number scheme but the code is not displayed.<ref name="Rioja">{{cite news |last1=Rioja Andueza |first1=Iker |title=Un coche-patrulla de 62.000 euros de la Ertzaintza sale a subasta en Zaragoza con un precio inicial de un euro |url=https://www.eldiario.es/euskadi/coche-patrulla-62-000-euros-ertzaintza-sale-subasta-zaragoza-precio-inicial-euro_1_12679803.html |access-date=14 October 2025 |work=ElDiario.es |date=13 October 2025 |language=es-ES |quote=Luce matrícula 'civil', de la serie KMD y no la 'E' gótica de las placas policiales vascas. Pero no ha sido rematriculado: todos los coches de la Ertzaintza tienen una doble numeración, la interna y un equivalente en el sistema de matriculación ordinario.}}</ref>

== Rank insignia ==
{| style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"
|-
|- bgcolor="#CCCCCC"
!'''Police Ranks<ref>Según la ORDEN de 31 de octubre de 2012, de la Consejera de Interior, Justicia y Administración Pública,
sobre uniformidad general y distintivos de la Ertzaintza. http://www.lehendakaritza.ejgv.euskadi.net/r48-bopv2/es/bopv2/datos/2012/11/1205055a.shtml</ref>'''||colspan=1| ||colspan=2|Superior Grade||colspan=2|Executive Grade||colspan=2|Inspection Grade||colspan=2|Basic Grade
|-
|-
|align="center" rowspan=7 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|'''[[File:Escudo de la Ertzaintza.svg|80px|Ertzaintza]]'''
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|'''Cap Emblem'''
|align="center" colspan=2 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|[[File:Escudo de Gorra (Escala Superior).png|none|70px|Escala Superior]]
|align="center" colspan=6 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|[[File:Escudo de Gorra (Escala Básica, Inspección y Ejecutiva).png|none|70px|Escala Básica, Inspección y Ejecutiva]]
|- rowspan="2"
|- align="center"
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|'''Rigid Shoulder Plate'''
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|[[File:HR 04 02 Superintendente.png|none|70px|Intendenteburua / Superintendente]]
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|[[File:HR 04 01 Intendente.png|none|70px|Intendentea / Intendente]]
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|[[File:HR 03 02 Comisario.png|none|70px|Komisarioa / Comisario]]
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|[[File:HR 03 01 Subcomisario.png|none|70px|Komisariondokoa / Subcomisario]]
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|[[File:HR 02 02 Oficial.png|none|70px|Ofiziala / Oficial]]
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|[[File:HR 02 01 Suboficial.png|none|70px|Ofizialaondokoa / Suboficial]]
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|[[File:HR 01 02 Agente Primero.png|none|70px|Lehenengoa agentea / Agente 1º]]
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|[[File:HR 01 01 Agente.png|none|70px|Agentea / Agente]]
|- rowspan="2"
|- align="center"
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|'''Flexible Shoulder Plate'''
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|[[File:04 02 Superintendente.png|none|70px|Intendenteburua / Superintendente]]
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|[[File:04 01 Intendente.png|none|70px|Intendentea / Intendente]]
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|[[File:03 02 Comisario.png|none|70px|Komisarioa / Comisario]]
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|[[File:03 01 Subcomisario.png|none|70px|Komisariondokoa / Subcomisario]]
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|[[File:02 02 Oficial.png|none|70px|Ofiziala / Oficial]]
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|[[File:02 01 Suboficial.png|none|70px|Ofizialaondokoa / Suboficial]]
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|[[File:01 02 Agente Primero.png|none|70px|Lehenengoa agentea / Agente 1º]]
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|[[File:01 01 Agente.png|none|70px|Agentea / Agente]]
|- rowspan="2"
|- align="center"
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|'''Rank Insignia'''
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|[[File:EG 04 02 Superintendente.png|none|70px|Intendenteburua / Superintendente]]
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|[[File:EG 04 01 Intendente.png|none|70px|Intendentea / Intendente]]
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|[[File:EG 03 02 Comisario.png|none|70px|Komisarioa / Comisario]]
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|[[File:EG 03 01 Subcomisario.png|none|70px|Komisariondokoa / Subcomisario]]
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|[[File:EG 02 02 Oficial.png|none|70px|Ofiziala / Oficial]]
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|[[File:EG 02 01 Suboficial.png|none|70px|Ofizialaondokoa / Suboficial]]
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|[[File:EG 01 02 Agente Primero.png|none|70px|Lehenengoa agentea / Agente 1º]]
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|[[File:EG 01 01 Agente.png|none|70px|Agentea / Agente]]
|- rowspan="2"
|- align="center"
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|'''Basque'''
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|{{lang|eu|Intendenteburua}}
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|{{lang|eu|Intendentea}}
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|{{lang|eu|Komisarioa}}
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|{{lang|eu|Komisariondokoa}}
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|{{lang|eu|Ofiziala}}
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|{{lang|eu|Ofizialondokoa}}
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|{{lang|eu|Agente lehena}}
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|{{lang|eu|Agentea}}
|- rowspan="2"
|- align="center"
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|'''Spanish'''
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|{{lang|es|Superintendente}}
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|{{lang|es|Intendente}}
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|{{lang|es|Comisario}}
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|{{lang|es|Subcomisario}}
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|{{lang|es|Oficial}}
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|{{lang|es|Suboficial}}
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|{{lang|es|Agente primero}}
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|{{lang|es|Agente}}
|- rowspan="2"
|- align="center"
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|'''English'''
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|Superintendent
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|Intendent
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|Commissioner
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|Deputy Commissioner
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|Officer
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|Deputy Officer
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|Superior Agent
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|Agent
|-
|}

{| style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"
|-
|- bgcolor="#CCCCCC"
!'''Police Ranks<ref>Según la Orden de 31 de octubre de 2012, de la Consejera de Interior, Justicia y Administración Pública,
sobre uniformidad general y distintivos de la Ertzaintza. http://www.lehendakaritza.ejgv.euskadi.net/r48-bopv2/es/bopv2/datos/2012/11/1205055a.shtml</ref>'''||colspan=1| ||colspan=4|Facultatives and Technicians Grade
|-
|-
|align="center" rowspan=5 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|'''[[File:Escudo de la Ertzaintza.svg|80px|Ertzaintza]]'''
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|'''Cap Emblem'''
|align="center" colspan=4 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|[[File:Escudo de Gorra (Escala de Facultativos y Técnicos).png|none|70px|Escala Superior]]
|- rowspan="2"
|- align="center"
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|'''Rigid Shoulder Plate'''
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|[[File:HR 00 04 Grupo A1.png|none|70px|Grupo A1]]
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|[[File:HR 00 03 Grupo A2.png|none|70px|Grupo A2]]
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|[[File:HR 00 02 Grupo C1.png|none|70px|Grupo C1]]
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|[[File:HR 00 01 Grupo C2.png|none|70px|Grupo C2]]
|- rowspan="2"
|- align="center"
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|'''Flexible Shoulder Plate'''
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|[[File:HF 00 04 Grupo A1.png|none|70px|Grupo A1]]
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|[[File:HF 00 03 Grupo A2.png|none|70px|Grupo A2]]
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|[[File:HF 00 02 Grupo C1.png|none|70px|Grupo C1]]
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|[[File:HF 00 01 Grupo C2.png|none|70px|Grupo C2]]
|- rowspan="2"
|- align="center"
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|'''Rank Insignia'''
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|[[File:EG 00 04 Grupo A1.png|none|70px|Grupo A1]]
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|[[File:EG 00 03 Grupo A2.png|none|70px|Grupo A2]]
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|[[File:EG 00 02 Grupo C1.png|none|70px|Grupo C1]]
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|[[File:EG 00 01 Grupo C2.png|none|70px|Grupo C2]]
|- rowspan="2"
|- align="center"
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|'''Group'''
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|Group A1
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|Group A2
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|Group C1
|align="center" colspan=1 style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0px 12px 12px 0px;"|Group C2
|-
|}

[[Image:Ertzaintza autoa 001.JPG|thumb|240px|An Ertzaintza [[Seat Altea#Seat Altea XL/Freetrack|Seat Altea XL]]]]
[[Image:2007 07 31 Ertzaintzak 2 BMW.jpg|thumb|240px|Ertzaintza [[BMW]] motorbikes]]
[[File:Askegune 014.jpg|thumb|Ertzainas making an arrest]]
[[File:Ertzaintza.jpg|thumb|Ertzaintza 'Beltzak' Mobile Brigade]]

== Problems with ETA and controversies ==
Ertzaintza is not accepted by the [[Basque nationalist]] parties [[ETA (separatist group)|ETA]] and [[Batasuna]], who deride it as ''zipaioak'', or [[sepoy]]s, an indigenous force serving the colonial power.<ref name="Aretxaga">[https://books.google.com/books?id=tKn5H6UoCS4C&pg=PA121&lpg=PA121 page 121]{{Dead link|date=March 2024|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}, ''Basque Politics and Nationalism on the Eve of the Millennium'', ''A Hall of Mirrors'', [[Begoña Aretxaga]], edited by [[William A. Douglass]], University of Nevada Press, 1999.</ref> As Ertzaintza took a more relevant role in the fight against ETA, it has become a target for them. It was soon infiltrated by ETA members, like [[Iñaki de Juana Chaos]].<ref name="El Correo">''[http://www.elcorreo.com/vizcaya/20090627/politica/ertzaintza-contra-20090627.html La Ertzaintza contra ETA]'', [[Florencio Domínguez]], ''[[El Correo]]'', 27 June 2009.</ref> In the areas where support for ETA is higher, ''ertzainas'' are forced to reside elsewhere and commute to work.
Fourteen ertzainas<ref name="Ertzaintza">[http://www.ertzaintza.net/public/wps/portal/ertzaintza/kcxml/04_Sj9SPykssy0xPLMnMz0vM0Y_QjzKL94s3d_EASZnF-8QbOgXqR2KIBSDEgvS99X098nNT9QP0C3JDI8odHRUB1pS61Q!!/delta/base64xml/L3dJdyEvd0ZNQUFzQUMvNElVRS82X05fOVNT Homenaje a los Ertzainas víctimas del terrorismo], 14 June 2009. ''Los defensores de la legalidad han sido los que de forma más brutal han sufrido estos ataques terroristas. Todos los cuerpos tienen asesinados entre los suyos: la Ertzaintza, la Guardia Civil y la Policía Nacional. Pero quiero también hoy hacer una referencia especial a los diferentes Policías Municipales de Euskadi; porque una treintena de asesinados vestían sus uniformes; la de la policía más humilde y, seguramente, la más desprotegida también. Pero me van a permitir que hoy tengamos un recuerdo especial con los ertzainas. Voy a citar de forma individual sus nombres para que la inquina del tiempo no convierta en inútil su sacrificio personal. En euskera hay un dicho conocido: "Izena duena da" Todo lo que tiene nombre existe. Yo los nombro uno a uno porque siguen existiendo en la memoria de los vascos y vascas que amamos la libertad: '''Ana Isabel Arostegi, Javier Mijangos, Mikel Uribe, Iñaki Totorika, José María Aguirre, Ramón Doral, Iñaki Mendiluce, José Luis González, Joseba Goicoechea, Alfonso Menchaca, Luís Hortelano, Juan José Pacheco, [[Carlos Díaz Arcocha]], [[Genaro García de Andoain]]'''. Todos ellos, junto con otras victimas, forman el empedrado de nuestras plazas abiertas y libres que vamos recuperando poco a poco.''</ref> have been killed or injured by ETA, sometimes being specifically targeted.

The Spanish government has had reservations about Ertzaintza. Spanish parties have often accused the Basque Home Office (in most terms held by the Basque Nationalist Party) of being soft on the fight against ETA and its supporting party [[Batasuna]]. Two police officers of Ertzaintza said that the former nationalist government "gave them orders not to act against ETA members and its social environment".<ref name="El mundo">''[http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2009/06/12/paisvasco/1244817097.html Dos ertzainas denuncian que había 'órdenes para no actuar contra ETA y su entorno]'', [[El Mundo (Spain)]], 12 June 2009</ref> Because of infiltration,{{Citation needed|date=February 2009}} Ertzaintza is not allowed by the Spanish [[Ministry of the Interior (Spain)|Ministry of the Interior]] to access the [[Interpol]] intelligence network.
On 1 March 2010, Ertzaintza joined the [[Center for Police and Customs Cooperation]] in [[Hendaye]], France, near the Spanish border.
It is a joint police station for information exchange with the [[French police]].
The [[Spanish Civil Guard]], the [[Spanish National Police Corps]] and the [[Customs Watch Services]] of the [[Spanish Tax Agency]] are also part of the center.

Lack of communication has occasionally led to shootings among police forces.<ref name="El País">{{cite news |url=http://www.elpais.com/articulo/espana/PAiS_VASCO/MINISTERIO_DE_INTERIOR/GUARDIA_CIVIL/PODER_EJECUTIVO/_GOBIERNO_PP_/1996-2000/heridos/tiroteo/Guardia/Civil/Ertzaintza/elpepiesp/19970301elpepinac_1/Tes/ |title=Tres heridos en un tiroteo entre Guardia Civil y Ertzaintza |website=[[El País]] |date=1997-03-01 }}</ref>

Some councillors of the Basque Country said that they have perceived a "decrease of the pro-ETA menace because of the current important role of the Ertzaintza against terrorism".<ref name="Descenso amenaza">{{cite web |url=http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2009/08/30/paisvasco/1251633444.html |title=Concejales vascos del PP perciben un descenso de la amenaza proetarra |language=es |website=[[El Mundo (Spain)|El Mundo]] |date=2009-08-30}}</ref><ref name="El Economista">{{cite web |url=http://www.eleconomista.es/flash/noticias/1504097/08/09/Los-concejales-vascos-del-PP-perciben-un-descenso-de-la-amenaza-proetarra.html |title=Los concejales vascos del PP perciben un descenso de la amenaza proetarra |language=es |website=[[El Economista (Spain)|El Economista]] |date=2009-08-30}}</ref>

== Etymology ==
{{Original research section|date=March 2022}}
{{lang|eu-biscayan|Ertzaña}} was a Basque [[neologism]] from {{lang|eu-biscayan|eŕ<!-- Aranist spelling -->i}} ("people") and {{lang|eu-biscayan|zañ}} ("guard") created by the Nationalist poet Esteban Urkiaga {{lang|eu-biscayan|[[Lauaxeta]]}}.
The generic Basque word for "police" is {{lang|eu|polizia}}.
Following the [[Batua|standardization of Basque in the 1960s]], the name of the restored force became "{{lang|eu|Ertzaintza}}" from the respelled {{lang|eu|herri}} and {{lang|eu|zain}} (compare with {{lang|eu|artzain}}, "shepherd" from {{lang|eu|ardi}} + {{lang|eu|zain}}), with the suffix {{lang|eu|-tza}} (compare {{lang|eu|Osakidetza}}, the Basque health service).
However to maintain a link to the past, the silent H was not included.
The Basque pop group {{lang|eu|[[Hertzainak]]}} ("The policemen") chose their name prior to the re-establishment of the corps and applied the modern spelling rules.

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{commons-inline}}
* [http://www.ertzaintza.eus Official web page] {{in lang|eu|es}}
* [http://www.euskomedia.org/aunamendi/102372/102925 Policía / Ertzaintza] in the Spanish-language [[Auñamendi Encyclopedia]].

{{Law enforcement agencies of Spain}}

[[Category:Basque Government]]
[[Category:Regional law enforcement agencies of Spain]]
[[Category:1980 establishments in the Basque Country (autonomous community)]]