A/HRC/45/9/Add.1 has consistently grown over the last 20 years. Approximately 23,000 private security personnel working in some 800 companies outnumber the 18,600 Swiss police officers, thus recalibrating the security landscape. 34 Switzerland is among the European countries with one of the lowest ratios of police forces compared to the size of the population. The industry’s workforce is largely male-dominated, with a slight increase in the percentage of female personnel from 18 per cent in 2013 to 21 per cent in 2015. 35 67. The private security market is dominated by a handful of large companies operating alongside a myriad of small and medium-sized enterprises. In 2015, 17 companies had more than 100 employees and only 2 had more than 1,000.36 Services commonly provided included guarding of persons and property, patrolling, video surveillance and monitoring the related video feed, cash-in-transit, traffic control, dog handling, security at public events, and transport of prisoners. 68. The main industry association of private security providers, the Association of Swiss Security Service Companies, has around 80 member companies and represents industry interests vis-à-vis the Government and other stakeholders.37 The Association also provides professional training to private security personnel, notably by organizing examinations for three nationally recognized diplomas related to private security. 69. Nevertheless, the Association does not play the role of a self-regulatory mechanism aiming to uphold and improve standards in the industry, and no other body fulfils this role. There is no sector-wide code of conduct elaborating ethical and legal duties and human rights responsibilities of private security companies. In 2017, the Association established the function of a mediator mandated to support member companies with an impartial interpretation of legal rules and to suggest solutions to resolve disputes, mainly as regards labour issues and contracts. The mediator, however, cannot receive grievances from individuals and members of the public against member companies. 70. In terms of labour conditions, a collective work agreement was put in place in 2004 and renewed in 2014. The agreement defines the minimum conditions of work and remuneration and applies to all private security companies operating in Switzerland with more than nine staff members.38 A mechanism to monitor compliance with the agreement is in place and can impose sanctions or start legal proceedings in case of non-compliance. The agreement also includes an obligation to provide staff with initial training lasting at least 20 hours. Although this could be an opportunity to ensure consistent minimum standards throughout the industry, some stakeholders have observed that the training is often outsourced and increasingly delivered through online platforms, negatively impacting on the quality. 3. Use of private security services by governmental authorities 71. Private security providers have increasingly come to fulfil a range of security tasks for public entities. This trend is driven by an increasing demand for security services linked to the way society has evolved, with a rise in large public events and the development of infrastructure, among other things. Increased demands on police, coupled with budgetary pressures, appear to be pushing public authorities to prioritize the use of police for core security tasks, potentially involving the use of force, and the delegation of tasks perceived as minor and non-sensitive to private security providers. 72. Private security providers deliver tasks related to traffic control, issuance of parking tickets, guarding of buildings, and securing large sporting and other public events, as well as to more sensitive areas such as ensuring security inside and outside facilities for asylum seekers, transportation of prisoners, maintaining peace and order, and patrolling public spaces. These tasks, and the associated regulatory framework, vary from one canton to 34 35 36 37 38 14 Figures shared by the Swiss Association of Police Officers. See www.coess.org/newsroom.php?page=facts-and-figures. Figures shared by the Association of Swiss Security Service Companies. See www.vssu.org/Association/A-notre-sujet. See www.unia.ch/fr/monde-du-travail/de-a-a-z/secteur-des-services/securite/cct.