The Police Vehicle Location-allocation Problem

The main aim of this research is to develop and apply location optimization formulations in conjunction with a geographic information system (GIS) to allocate police patrol vehicles such that the police car road coverage in a specific area is maximized. We will demonstrate this using a case study based on the interurban road network of Northern Israel. Currently it is standard practice around the world to allocate routine police vehicles based on an analysis of the frequent accidents on the roads, commonly known as ‘hazardous locations’. In Israel, a traffic model assigns vehicles based on accident severity and traffic volume. The assumption to date is that the presence of a police vehicle on roads with high traffic volumes, which generally also have large numbers of accidents, will reduce both the number of traffic violations and the number and severity of accidents. The problem with the current analysis is its failure to account for the response time of the same vehicles that are required to deal with additional events to which they are called, such as accidents, obstacles reported on the road, congestion and other events. This research therefore discusses the application of the maximum covering location problem taking into account simultaneously ‘hazardous locations’, traffic volume and maximum coverage of the relevant sectors. The results of the model will enable improved coverage of the network that maximizes the traffic volume capture hence reducing response time to relevant events and improving police efficiency.