Sunday, February 12, 2012

Basque Country: highest police density of all the EU

Basque language newspaper Berria explains today that if the FBI needed last year 800 agents to jail 127 mafia members, in the Basque Country at almost the same time, the Spanish Guardia Civil (military police corps) needed 390 policemen to arrest a mere ten Basques. If the North American police department needs 6.2 agents to arrest an armed gangsters, the Guardia Civil needs, it seems, 50 heavily armed policemen to arrest a mere unarmed Basque. 

No policemen seem enough for 'superbasques'
No wonder Basques are considered superpeople in some corners.

But worry not, if something is in excess in the Basque Country that is police agents. If in the European Union the media is two agents per 1000 people, in the Basque Country that figure is 6 per thousand, even more than in Northern Ireland or (heavily militarized non-member) Turkey.

Not counting stationed soldiers (1200), there are 18,100 police agents in the Basque country, half of which are state agents from Spain and France, of which the infamous and hated Guardia Civil is the strongest force, with 4800 troopers and 79 stations (52 in Navarre).

The rest would be the Basque Autonomous police force (7500 agents) and Chartered Police of Navarre (925). Local police agents don't seem to have been considered, although they also take part in law enforcement and sometimes political repression as well. If counted, the figure would be even worse.

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