Strategic location modelling for reaction vehicles of the private security industry in South Africa

Abstract

Since the early 1960s location problems have been used throughout various industries and in various countries. During recent years the field of location problems has become increasingly popular due to the fact that it is applicable in real life situations – especially in emergency services such as hospital, police station and ambulance locations to name a few. Despite the fact that location problems are so widely used with great success, it is still not being used to full potential in industries where it can have a major impact. One of these industries is the private security industry in South Africa. This dissertation addresses various mathematical models that can assist the management of privately owned security companies to determine strategic locations for their reaction vehicles, these locations will increase both resource utilization and improve the level of service they provide to customers. These models are used in different scenarios to see how the models adapt to input changes.