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Plan estratégico-en

Estrategic Plan

The Ertzaintza has a Strategic Reflection Process aimed at establishing, communicating, monitoring and reviewing their strategy and objectives as well as the way these are aligned with those of the rest of the Security Department and those of the Basque Government.

The Strategic Reflection Process of the Ertzaintza comprises two complementary phases: a quadrennial phase to define the Strategic Plan and an annual phase to define the Annual Management Plan.

The Strategic Plan phase is quadrennial and coincides with the term in office of the Basque Parliament. It starts with the appointment of each new Management Board of the Ertzaintza. In the event of early dissolution and a new call for elections, the Strategic Plan would modify its schedule in order to adapt or redefine, if appropriate, a new Plan with the new managers.

The Strategic Plan reviews or redefines the Ertzaintza Model, Ertzaintza Mission, Vision and Values, as well as the strategic objectives to be reached. Every year, through the Annual Management Plan, the progress made is checked and reviewed and the actions to be developed are defined, as well as the goals of the indicators used to measure progress.

Elements of the Strategic Plan:

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The Ertzaintza continues a tradition its members feel proud of. As Basques, they adopt a model which derives from the Basque society, staying true to its idiosyncracy, culture, language and way of being and acting in every corner of the territory.

It is the heir to an essence of respect for Human Rights which stems from the regional historical and legal roots and is embodied in a proactive commitment which derives from conviction and a sense of duty and not just from compliance with legality.

Its model underlines a service orientation which will be demonstrated every day by all the professionals who make up the Ertzaintza in all their actions. This public service orientation will be reflected in a clear focus on the needs of citizens, whose requirements, both with regard to security as well as assistance, must be met in an appropriate manner.

The framework of reference which will guide and shape the services offered to citizens will comprise Mission, Vision and Values. As long as these are interiorized by all the people in the Organization, the responses will be appropriate.

Ertzaintza officers will act with high levels of commitment and a sense of belonging. This will enable the advancement in the relations between sections, areas, units and divisions, maintaining a comprehensive view of the Organization as a team of which one is a part. As a result, the image of the group will be reinforced.

The Ertzaintza will contribute to the development of everyone’s personal skills and to realizing the right to equal treatment and opportunities.

Those in positions of responsibility, whatever their level, will exercise a leadership which promotes people’s growth and the development of the Organization, with high levels of autonomy, commitment and managerial capacity. Those in command will facilitate the service provided to citizens by the officers.

Personnel in direct contact with citizens, and therefore, the visible face of the Organization, will have initiative in the rendering of all police services, including assistance services. For the relationship with citizens to be optimal, they will receive sound technical training, especially in social skills.

As for the people in the Organization, a renewed human resources policy which is in keeping with the model and enables greater alignment with the Ertzaintza becomes especially important.

It will maintain alliances with all types of public or private organizations in all areas. This will enable the identification of new citizens’ needs and the fulfilment of their mission. In this regard, the collaboration with the Local Police forces of the Basque Country, with whom they make up the Basque Police, will be especially relevant.

The Ertzaintza will structure its external relations of all kinds in three levels.

At the level of the organization, promoting an institutional collaboration atmosphere which facilitates police work and identifying those relationships which are understood to be critical, with priority being given to those aimed at prevention.

At a second level, Police Stations will be responsible for promoting and maintaining the relationships with the community in their area.

At a third level, each professional will be responsible for gaining people’s trust by means of closeness, visibility, accessibility, availability for their needs and flexibility to deal with their problems.

The Ertzaintza will place citizens in the centre of their actions, supporting those who have been victimized, providing them with information about their case or about the steps taken in a proactive and personalized manner.

A permanent willingness to dialogue will allow them to identify the interests of the society with regard to the Institution, disseminate the commitments acquired with it, balance the expectations which may exist and give effective and constant account of their actions.

Transparency and accountability will be key aspects. It will proactively provide full and reliable data and information about its services and processes to all the society, including partner organizations and the people in the Ertzaintza themselves.

It will promote the use of the contributions made by all the stakeholders and the permanent review of its way of doing things as a source of innovation and continuous improvement. Moreover, its activity will be subject to classical control systems (internal or disciplinary, judicial, ombudsman and parliament) as well as any other mixed systems which may be created.

The Ertzaintza will reinforce the intelligence-oriented, active prevention model, which stems from the assumption that their mere presence has no sufficient preventive effect. The prevention approach will not only have a tactical character but also a strategic one. From this point of view, investigation activities will also play a part in the preventive approach.

Intelligence-guided criminal investigations will rely on the technical and scientific police. The Ertzaintza will promote the training and specialization of its professionals, encouraging team work as well as new methods to combat the different types of crime, from minor offences to organized crime in its most varied dimensions.

Its activity will be based on an integrated analysis which includes claims and other external analyses and assesses the findings so as to focus the efforts of the Organization on the most effective activities or those which offer greater added value.

For the effective development of the police activity and the model itself, the Ertzaintza will have a strategy for the supply and updating of material and technological resources which ensures their identification as a modern police force.

MISSION OF THE ERTZAINTZA

The Ertzaintza is the integral police force of the Basque Country. As part of their commitment to the society they serve, they foster peace, safety and security as well as people’s well-being.

VISION OF THE ERTZAINTZA

The Ertzaintza seek a high level of recognition for their promotion of public ethics and respect for human rights.

Using their Model as a basis, they will continue working to improve their daily activity and will consolidate an approach to leadership which encourages the growth of people, promotes a high level of autonomy and fosters daily participation.

They will continue working closely with society on the suitability and efficiency of the security and assistance services they provide, while promoting closeness in their provision.

VALUES OF THE ERTZAINTZA

  • Closeness: we maintain an open-minded and friendly attitude towards everyone
  • Trust: we act with honesty and transparency and communicate in a sincere manner
  • Commitment: we get involved in order to give effective answers which help resolve problems
  • Team: we work in a cohesive manner under active leadership
  • Evolution: we continuously assess ourselves in order to improve

The 2012 Strategic Plan of the Ertzaintza includes the Prevention through Communication programme which, through different dissemination activities and awareness-raising campaigns, intends to address the needs which citizens in general and schoolchildren in particular may have on safety and security matters.

Educating for coexistence does not mean renouncing conflict, but being able to deal with it and overcome it in a positive and effective manner. It means investing more effort in positive and preventive strategies to foster coexistence rather than in the occasional response those cases in which coexistence is seriously undermined.

The purpose of the Prevention through Communication programme is to guide, promote and enhance the implementation of measures within the educational sphere, with the aim of preventing inappropriate behaviour and violent actions, supporting and promoting the presence of positive and preventive factors and decreasing or neutralizing those which alter proper coexistence.

These educational activities pay special attention to peer maltreatment, abuse at school (bullying and cyber bullying) and road safety, thus contributing to socializing among the younger ones the role of the Ertzaintza in defending everyone’s rights and freedoms.

Within this context, the first collaboration agreement between the Department of Education and the Department of Security of the Basque Government was signed in 2013 and renewed on 26 April 2018.

The pedagogical actions and activities offered by the Department of Security to the education community are managed by the Ertzaintza and include training sessions at education centres and visits to police centres, including the Basque Police and Emergencies Academy.

The range of activities which are currently offered by the Ertzaintza address the following subjects:

  1. Risks derived from surfing the Internett
  2. Peer maltreatment and abuse at school
  3. Avoiding antisocial behaviour
  4. Reality and consequences of drug-consumption
  5. Road safety, including the itinerant project “Don´t be Dummy” (There is no replacement for you).
  6. Preventive measures in sports or recreational activities in the mountain, the beach and inland
  7. New organized and violent youth groups
  8. 112 Emergency number What is 112?
  9. Gender-based violence

These activities are also aimed at the parents who form part of Parents Associations (AMPAs). They receive the same contents as those provided in the activities aimed at students, since it is considered that parents should know the contents that the Ertzaintza shares with their children.

The education centres which are interested in carrying out the aforementioned activities can request it by writing to the Head of the Police Station of the area in which the education centre is situated.

For decades, the presence of terrorism has been a constant in the European political and social life which, in varying degrees, has directly threatened the life and the security of its citizens. Moreover, international terrorism has chosen Europe as a target for their actions, which has led to the establishment of a regulatory framework, both at the national and international level, to prevent and pursue it.

Thus, in 2005, the Member States published and assumed the “EU Counter Terrorism Strategy”.

The Autonomous Community of the Basque Country is no stranger to the security model based on the principles and values of the European Union: respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, Rule of Law, democracy, dialogue, tolerance, transparency and solidarity, which are included in the Mission of the Strategic Plan of the Ertzaintza and recorded in Instruction 78 of the Vice-Ministry of Security and in its Statement of Values.

The strategic commitment specified by the European Union:

To combat terrorism globally while respecting human rights and make Europe safer, allowing its citizens to live in an area of freedom, security and justice

is assumed by the Basque Autonomous Community in the form of the Strategic Plan of the Ertzaintza against Radical Islamism.

This Plan of the Ertzaintza, PECIR, relies on the same four essential pillars as the European Strategy: PREVENT, PROTECT, PURSUE and RESPOND, and intends to respond in a global, comprehensive and proportionate manner to the threat of terrorism, in whatever form, by combating terrorism at its root, preventing future situations of risk, improving the protection of potential targets, reinforcing the investigation and neutralization of these groups and perfecting the mechanisms to manage the consequences of a potential terrorist attack.

The four pillars on which the Strategic Plan of the Ertzaintza against Radical Islamism rests are:

  • PREVENT radicalization and the commission of attacks. That is, prevent people from becoming terrorists; therefore, this strategy focuses on the fight against radicalization processes, placing an emphasis on the conditions in which these processes may occur. Work is being done on preventing discrimination and inequalities, fostering intercultural dialogue as well as long-term integration.
  • PROTECT citizens and infrastructures, and reduce the existing vulnerability to a potential attack and even the resulting impact, should one occur.
  • PURSUE: the aim is to detect, locate, investigate and arrest terrorists, and cut off their funding.
  • RESPOND to an attack: the risk of terrorist attacks cannot be reduced to zero; therefore, we must be able to deal with them when they occur. In addition to the rapid sharing of operational and policy information across borders, we must be prepared to respond in solidarity and to effectively assist the victims and their families.

The Security Department of the Basque Government has set a Strategic Plan Against Trafficking of Human Beings for the Purpose of Sexual Exploitation, which is considered one of the most brutal expressions of violence against women.

The Plan execution implies the participation of the entire police structure, enhancing the mainstreaming between the different Units of Intelligence, Citizen Protection and Investigation Units.

The Plan goals are settled around the victim protection. We are interested in the crime prevention and prosecution, but we are obsessed with the protection of the victim.

The procedure has been improved with the contribution of some NGOs with which the Plan has been shared, and it consists of attending to every place where the prostitution is practiced to collect information, so we detect the victim to free her, take care of her and release her. We all know that this Victims will not go to our facilities to report their situation, among many other factors, because they are known as the “invisible victims”. Therefore, we have decided to leave our comfort zone and go to those places to try to identify them.

We have great expectations on the Plan: it will allow us to know our surroundings better; compose a diagnostic report of the situation of the prostitution in the Basque Country; offer protection to all the persons that practice prostitution; stablish a link between these persons and the Ertzaintza; and, of course, free women and minors victims of human trafficking, victims of the 21st century slavery.

The application of the non-discrimination principle and the defence of equal treatment against discrimination are essential to guarantee coexistence and, for this reason, combating hate crime is a priority for the Ertzaintza. To carry out this task, the Ertzaintza relies on the European model and on Human Rights. In line with all this, the Ertzaintza has a Continuous Action called “Plan against Xenophobia and Hate Crime” with the following spheres of intervention:

I. VIEWING AND RECORDING HATE INCIDENTS AND HATE CRIME. STATISTICS

A key factor for the development of effective prevention and protection measures. A system to collect data on crimes motivated by hate or discrimination has been implemented to this end. The aim is to monitor reports and incidents and publish statistical data.

II. REGULATIONS

Internal regulations are also especially relevant as a necessary standardization element which has been developed to provide the police with a methodology which enables to identify potential hate crimes. They are useful in order to formulate an efficient response and conduct a proper investigation.

III. TRAINING AND AWARENESS-RAISING

Carried out by the Police and Emergency Services Academy of the Basque Country. It deals with Hate Incidents considering their typological and evidential specificities for the purposes of identification, police proceedings and report taking. TAHCLE, with ENP European Network of Policewomen.

i. Collaboration with other institutions and organizations.

Collaboration with other institutions and organizations is particularly necessary in the field of security, in connection with the special consideration and protection of the victims and target groups of hate crimes. Thus, work is being done to establish and consolidate communication channels in order to share knowledge, data and elements of analysis which enable the improvement of the strategies to combat these crimes.

ii. UPV UNIVERSITY

At present, through a Collaboration Agreement between the Chair for Human Rights and Public Authorities (University of the Basque Country) and the Ertzaintza, by which the Chair produces conceptual elements of analysis as well as an annual report on Hate Incidents in the Basque Country.

iii. LEGAL OPERATORS

Exchange of data, regulations and factual knowledge with the Special Prosecution Services for Hate and Discrimination Crime as well as case monitoring. With the Judiciary: sentencing, guidelines.

iv. CIVIL SOCIETY

Collaboration in various projects promoted by associations in defence of target groups, such as SOS RACISMO, in European projects: TOGETHER, by the European Commission, to fight hate crime; OPEN SOCIETY…

v. INSTITUTIONS

Such as the Biltzen Service, within the Family Policy and Diversity Directorate of the Department of Employment and Social Policies, on awareness-raising and training for the Ertzaintza.

NATIONAL OFFICE TO FIGHT HATE CRIME UNDER THE COORDINATION AND STUDIES DEPARTMENT OF THE SECRETARIAT OF STATE FOR SECURITY.

vi. OTHER POLICE FORCES.

Exchange of information on good practices and collaboration in training spaces with other police forces at the local, national, regional (Mossos) and international (South Africa, Great Britain) level.

Within the promotion of public ethics and respect for human rights, and bearing in mind the mission of the Detention process, which involves protecting the life and the physical and mental integrity of detainees, respecting their rights, honour and dignity and guaranteeing the physical and mental safety as well as the legal security of the officers who take part in the detention, as of 2 October 2019, the procedure to deal with those detained in the judicial district of Bilbao has been centralized in a single centre.

The police station situated in Deusto receives detainees from Basauri, Bilbao, Galdakao, Erandio, Laudio, UTTB (Bizkaia’s Territorial Traffic Unit) and SICTB (Bizkaia’s Territorial Criminal Investigation Section). It also receives those who have been detained by the Local Police under the collaboration agreements in place.

The objectives sought are in keeping with the recommendations of the Ararteko (Basque Ombudsman), the Defensor del Pueblo (Spanish Ombudsman) and the Council of Europe. It improves the Detention Process, increases the efficiency of resources and enhances the coordination with the various stakeholders (justice, healthcare, the legal profession…).

The cell area in Deusto police station underwent considerable improvement, that is: cameras inside the cells, cell intercom, anti-vandal toilets and total monitoring from the custody post.

Both the investigation staff on duty as well as citizen security staff were reinforced with new incorporations.

As a pilot for its being subsequently implemented in various judicial districts, the first assessments after the appropriate analysis show a clear progression towards the intended objectives.

The Ertzaintza, in compliance with the current regulations on equality between men and women and, naturally, out of their own conviction, aims, among other things, to incorporate the gender perspective into the processes of this police institution and promote a balanced representation of women and men in the police force.

The main actions which have been established to achieve these aims are:

  • Continuous training and awareness raising on equality and gender perspective, seeking a change in behavioural patterns.

  • Implementation of campaigns and activities promoting the presence of women in the Ertzaintza, regulating in the medium term the plans for the promotion of women in order to guarantee equal opportunities with regard to admission and professional career, correct the current underrepresentation and increase police efficiency.

  • Use of inclusive language and non-sexist elements in communications as well as any events which may be organized.

  • Identification of relevant issues through the analysis of those matters which affect gender inequality: presence of women and men in certain bodies, participation in decision-making, access to resources and social rules and values.

    This analysis will have to do with both internal as well as external factors and will deal with subjects such as co-responsibility, merit assessment in promotion or specialization courses, allocation of posts, leadership models, citizen engagement processes, etc.

  • Participation in police cooperation spaces at the national and international level, establishing alliances with organizations for the promotion of equality and diversity.

In short, the ultimate end is to make actual progress towards a fairer, more egalitarian and diverse society, in which both the Ertzaintza as well as the Basque society to which this institution serves stand to gain from equal treatment and respect for diversity and difference.

INTRODUCTION

The Strategic Section of the ERTZAINTZA has undertaken this innovative challenge regarding projection and evolution in the world of drones with an Organizational Model centralized in their Tactical Support Headquarters, more specifically in the Aeronautics Section of the Rescue and Surveillance Unit, in compliance with the regulatory framework described in Royal Decree 1036/2017.

This Decree sets out the legal framework for the use of drones, both for Private Operators as well as for the Police.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this organizational model is to achieve common standards for all the Services provided by the different Units and Sections of the ERTZAINTZA, in keeping with training, operational, administrative and legal criteria, with some exceptions.

FUNCTIONS

The police drone function within the work of the Ertzaintza is defined as:

  • Ertzaintza-specific users of RPAs: (rescue, explosives, surveillance, monitoring, citizen security, mass control, traffic, protection of VIPs, critical areas and infrastructures, support to other emergency services and institutions…).
  • Air transit police: (air and public safety and security control in support of AESA Spanish Aviation Safety and Security Agency” as law enforcement agents).
  • Detection/neutralization of RPAs. (ANTI-DRONE MEASURES).

SERVICES

RPA as air support in the following contexts:

  • Citizen Protection:Planning, monitoring and control of operations. Recording and broadcasting of air images.
  • Investigation Photogrammetry and 3D reconstruction. Road accidents, fires, homicides, drug plantations, access control to rural areas, discreet viewing of difficult access areas of police interest, Central Intelligence Office…
  • Surveillance and Rescue: Rescue, search and location (persons, objects…), surveillance of facilities, management of chemical, biological, radioactive emergencies, etc.

OTHERS

Specialized training, dissemination, support and guidance:

  • Drone pilot course.
  • Internal, external talks (Ertzaintza and AVPE -Basque Police and Emergency Services Academy-, other public and private organizations).
  • Preparing RPAS manual and reporting formats for the Ertzaintza.
  • Participation in specialized official forums on regulatory and technological development of RPAs: AESA’s RPAS Advisory Committee.

“RPAs and their systems are continuously engaged in technological evolution”.