Staffing benchmarks: a model for determining how many security officers are enough

Area of Science:

• Industrial Engineering
• Operations Research
• Security Management

Background:

• Determining appropriate staffing levels for facility security is crucial for operational efficiency and cost management.
• Existing methods for estimating security full-time equivalents (FTEs) may lack objectivity or be based on limited data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a predictive model for estimating the industry average number of security FTEs based on facility characteristics.
• To provide an objective tool for security management and resource allocation.

Main Methods:

• Multiple regression analysis was employed to identify key facility characteristics influencing security FTE requirements.
• Actual field data from various facilities was collected and utilized for model development and validation.

Main Results:

• The developed model demonstrates a statistically significant ability to predict industry average security FTEs.
• Key facility characteristics were identified as significant predictors in the regression model.

Conclusions:

• The study successfully created an objective model for estimating security FTEs, aiding in facility management.
• The model offers a data-driven approach to optimize security staffing and resource allocation.