Optimizing patrol force deployment using a genetic algorithm

Over the past few years property management has become a prominent topic in Mainland China. The proprietors expect the property company to provide a broad range of services and deal with kinds of complaints. One of main duties of the property management is to provide a security patrol on the housing estate so that the security personnel can provide an immediate response to people in need and deal with complaints. The property managers are facing two big challenges: an increase in complaints and manpower shortage. The purpose of this study is to find a systematic method to improve the deployment of security guards in a large property company located in south China. We developed a mathematical model that fits the practical situation. A case study in which the proposed methodology is applied is given in this paper to show how the optimal allocation is determined. In comparison with the current empirical method of allocation the utilization of the optimal allocation obtains a 27.5% improvement.