Dutch Watch was a paramilitary

Paramilitary

A paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military, but which is not considered part of a state's formal armed forces....

 organization formed by settlers in the Cape

Cape Town

Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...

 in 1655, initially to protect civilians against attack and later to maintain law and order. The South African Police Service

South African Police Service

The South African Police Service is the national police force of the Republic of South Africa. Its 1116 police stations in South Africa are divided according to the provincial borders, and a Provincial Commissioner is appointed in each province...

 (SAPS) and the apartheid-era police force South African Police

South African Police

The South African Police was the country's police force until 1994. The SAP traced its origin to the Dutch Watch, a paramilitary organization formed by settlers in the Cape in 1655, initially to protect civilians against attack and later to maintain law and order...

 (SAP) traces its origin to the Dutch Watch. In 1840 the Dutch Watch eventually became the Cape Town Police Force. Earlier the British had taken control of the Dutch Watch in 1795 and organized the Cape Constabulary in 1825.