Ignacio Saenz de Camara
The December 17 of 1998, the Basque Police Museum was inaugurated by the then Lehendakari José Antonio Ardanza. Located in the facilities of the Basque Academy of Police and Emergencies, it can be visited free of charge and learn about the history of the tasks carried out by said entity for the benefit of citizens.
THE FUNDS OF THE BASQUE POLICE MUSEUM
The facilities have two floors, in which shows the history of the Basque Police from the eighteenth century to the present.
The permanent exhibition displays before the public the uniforms historically worn by the different regional armed forces, as well as documents, photographs, weapons and objects linked to the history of the Basque Police.
Likewise, the Museum has audiovisual and interactive media, as well as areas with multimedia information. Also, throughout the visit you can know the history of the Local Police and the Foral Armed Corps.
On the ground floor, it is possible to see in different rooms the creation in the XNUMXth century of the Miñones from Álava, the Miqueletes from Guipúzcoa and the Forales from Bizkaia, together with graphic material, projections, uniforms and objects.
There is also information on the creation of the "Ertzaña" in 1936, which acted as the unified regional police of the territory where it was, in the company of multiple data supplied at multimedia points and through interactive elements.
THE GEOGRAPHICAL DISPLAY
In turn, on the first floor you can know the functions of the local police of the three Basque Historical Territories and of the Ertzaintza. There is also information about their deployment throughout the Basque geography, as well as the different tasks they carry out.
Also in the museum they accept photographs, documents, anecdotes and testimonials of historical significance, which can be sent to the email address in the box.
Given the interest of the followers of THE TEAM in vehicles from other times, we focus on the section on rolling stock with four or more wheels, whose images we collected in an exhibition held previously.
PATROL CARS
Since 1982, the Ertzaintza began to own patrol cars, which at first were the fast, robust and economical Talbot Horizon. Thanks to its 1,9-litre, 65 CV diesel engine, they carried out an efficient and highly operational service.
From that fleet, in the Basque Police Museum The copy of the image is now preserved, registered in Bilbao in 1984 and endowed with specific labeling. In addition to the emergency lights typical of patrol cars, it has fog lights that did not come standard.
The following models to be part of the sample were the second generation Renault 19, also equipped with diesel engine. In this case it was the power plant of 1.870 cm3 and 65 CV at 4.500 rpm.
They fulfilled their missions as urban patrol in the Ertzaintza Police Stations even with higher performance, due to its better aerodynamics and larger boot capacity. Likewise, the unit in the image already included the new registration of the Basque Police.
Its characteristic letter "E" was established in Decree 523/1995 of the Basque Government December 19. Since then, all Ertzaintza cars, SUVs and vans have had license plates of this type.
Another tourism that happened almost at the same time to be used as a patrol car was the Citroën ZX, second series and fitted with a 1.905 cm diesel engine3 and 68 CV at 4.600 rpm.
In his favor, he self-steering rear axle with more lively behavior. Some of them were equipped with partitions for the transfer of detainees, which had an impact on greater security for the agents.
Similarly, the cessation of production of the Renault 19 brought with it the incorporation of Renault Megane 1.9 D patrol cars, which were distinguished by having a little more habitability and being more comfortable for drivers.
Like its predecessors, the Ertzaintza Police Stations used it as an urban patrol. Already in this century, the SEAT Altea minivan became part of the urban patrols of the Ertzaintza, with the advantage of its more spacious cabin.
On the other hand, there were larger models, as initially the Renault 21 Turbo diesel available to those responsible for Security.
Thanks to their 120 CV power, they were considered fast vehicles and were used both in the Basque Country Cycling Tour and in medical emergency transfers. The same way, The fifth generation Volkswagen Passat 2.0 TDi They were used as a patrol car in multiple services at Police Stations and Traffic Bases, including their use as a radar car.
THE PRESIDENCY CARS
Already constituted the first Basque Government of democracy on April 29, 1980, the first official car of the Presidency was this Peugeot 604 SL, armored and equipped with a V6 engine of 2.664 cm3 and 136 CV at 5.750 rpm.
It was used by Lehendakaris Carlos Garaikoetxea, from 1980 to 1985, and José Antonio Ardanza, from 1985 to 1999. The Mercedes-Benz 560 SEL from 1988, similarly armored and powered by a 8 cm V5.547 engine3 and 279 CV at 5.200 rpm.
This car was used by Jose Antonio Ardanza until 1999 and for Juan Jose Ibarretxe in his tenure until 2009.
SPECIAL VEHICLES
For rescue and relief operations in catastrophes, the Basque Police had from the beginning a set of vehicles that can reach places with difficult access, thanks to its ability to move on slippery surfaces.
One of the oldest is the Poncin VP3000, which incorporates a 4-cylinder Renault engine and has eight wheels, surrounded by two covers of synthetic material. Due to its lightness and extraordinary grip, it was used in rescue missions that need to move in snowy areas.
Also useful in such environments is the Polaris XLT Touring Snowmobile, which allows an agent to come to the aid of a lost or injured person.
In this sense, it can be vital to support the Polaris quad, equipped with a cargo space and designed for rescue in mountain areas.
As to Hummer, his tasks were focused on his work of country patrol, as well as in relocation of generating sets to places far from conventional routes.
Another certainly special vehicle is the Hägglunds double track, which added to its amphibian quality its suitability in mountain rescues, given its interior volume to transport emergency personnel.
It remains to finish this section the veteran Mercedes Benz Unimog, which was used exclusively as a snow plow.
THE HELICOPTER
Already retired from his missions, the Dauphin SA365 C3 helicopter worked within the Surveillance and Rescue Unit, where he contributed to saving lives and recovering people who had been lost in steep areas or areas with minimal visibility.
French-made, with its two engines It has a maximum power of 700 CV and reaches a speed of 315 km/h.
MARINE VEHICLES
The Maritime Section of the Surveillance and Rescue Unit of the Ertzaintza owns the boat Itsas Zain, built in 2001 at the Armon de Navia shipyard (Asturias)
Destined to rescues at sea from its base of operations in Santurce, is also in charge of police tasks, such as control of poaching, environmental crimes or drug trafficking, among others.
VANS
This type of vehicle, intended for the transport of Ertzainas in their surveillance functions, was carried out in its origins with copies like this Mercedes-Benz L407D minibus from 1982.
They also fulfilled the function of mobile police stations, when the deployment of the Basque Police throughout the territory had not yet been carried out. Equipped with a 4 cm in-line 2.399-cylinder diesel engine3, has a maximum power of 53 CV at 4.200 rpm.
Also part of the collection of the Basque Police Museum is a Mercedes-Benz MB 140D, which was used for the students of the Basque Academy of Police and Emergencies to practice driving.
Manufactured between 1986 and 1991 in the factory that the firm of the star has in Vitoria-Gasteiz, is front-wheel drive and has a 4-cylinder diesel engine, 2.399 cm3 and 53 hp.
Already later, the Traffic Bases and the Police Stations used the vans Second generation Mercedes-Benz Vito, also produced in the Álava plant from 2003 to 2014.
With a longitudinal engine and transmission to the rear axle, they incorporated a direct injection diesel engine and 2.148 cm3whose powers of 109 or 150 hp allowed to cover their service with greater agility.
Furthermore, the Volkswagen Transporter since 2004 they were in charge of replacing the Renault 21 at the Traffic Bases. Equipped with a direct injection turbo diesel engine, its 140 CV facilitated an effective response in their daily tasks.
SUVS
As far as SUVs are concerned, the Ertzaintza began using the long Nissan Patrol, assigned to the Traffic Bases and the Mobile Brigade. These models were manufactured Nissan Motor Iberian in the Barcelona Free Zone.
propelled by a Ebro diesel engine of 2,8 liters and 84 CV, in their early days some of them had sheet metal cutters, to free passengers in traffic accidents, until this job was entrusted to firefighters.
Already in the decade of the 90s, the Nissan Terrano II took over by the Traffic Bases and the Ertzaintza Police Stations. They were equipped with a 2.702 cm turbodiesel engine3 and 100 CV, which made them more effective than their predecessors both on the road and on uneven terrain.
Another Nissan SUV that used later was the Pathfinder, which still has copies at the service of the Traffic Bases, Mobile Brigade, Police Stations and Miñones de Álava.
Manufactured since 2005 in Barcelona, it has a 2.488 cm turbo diesel engine3 and 171 hp at 4.000 rpm, equipped with a cylinder head with four valves per cylinder.
BASQUE POLICE MUSEUM, A GOOD IDEA
A visit to the Basque Police Museum It allows you to get an idea of the trajectory, carried out for more than three centuries by the different security forces that have come together in the current Ertzaintza. In the same way, this body has carried out since 1982 an extensive work, which ranges from the control of road traffic to the prevention of crimes and the maintenance of public order.
However, their citizen service is more brilliant when they intervene in accidents, catastrophes, rescues and emergency situations. That is where it is most appreciated. the effort made by the 8.000 Ertzainas.
It is also worth considering Sensitivity to keep some already inactive copies of its fleet of vehicles and thus keep living memory of them.
INFORMATION BEFORE THE VISIT
Before plan a visit to the Basque Police Museum, it is necessary to make the reservation either by calling 945 773 465 between 10 and 12 hours or by sending an email to [email protected].
Whether in the phone call or in the email, It is necessary to communicate if it is an individual or group visit, indicating in this second case the number of people who will attend, the scheduled date and personal data. The Basque Academy of Police and Emergencies is located in the Highway N-104, km 356. Postal code 01192 Arkaute (Álava).
The Museum can be visited from Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 13:30 p.m. and from 15:00 p.m. to 16:30 p.m. It is closed on weekends and holidays. Your web page is www.museopoliciavasca.eus/es/eus.
