Dutch Watch was a paramilitary organization formed by settlers in the Cape in 1655, initially to protect civilians against attack and later to maintain law and order. The South African Police Service (SAPS) and the apartheid-era police force South African Police (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.