The launch of the Private Security Companies (PSC) Code of Conduct and Guidelines for the Procurement of the PSC was held on the 20th of September in Holiday Inn Hotel in Sarajevo.The following draft code of conduct contains a set of basic standards of professionalism and quality, which should be applied by all employers and employees in the private security and military industry. This code of conduct is intended for use in addition to national legislation and all firms should also meet the basic conditions imposed by national legislation, complying strictly with both their spirit and the letter. The code is based on European and international best practice in this area and draws on the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights (proposed by the US Department of State and supported by the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office).
According to the code, where there are gaps in national rules, employers and employees should work to improve them. The code covers a wide range of areas, ranging from the selection and recruitment of workers and vocational training to health and safety at work, and it includes non-discrimination and relations with clients, the police and other security firms.Companies will support the principles of equality and non-discrimination. Companies in the sector will apply these principles and guarantee that each employee is fully integrated and not discriminated against on grounds of ethnicity or social background, skin colour, union affiliation, sex, religion, political opinion, nationality, sexual orientation or any other distinctive characteristic. Steps should be taken to discourage companies of exclusive ethnicity operating over the longer term.