Operation Night Watch: A united front against night-time crimes

Tshwane Metro Police has teamed up with SANParks and security companies in a campaign to combat the scourge of night-time crimes – from burglaries to poaching in national parks.

A landmark cross-sector declaration titled “Operation Night Watch” was signed on Thursday during a security industry indaba held at the Zwartkop Country Club in Centurion.

Hosted by tactical lighting equipment supplier Nextorch Africa, the event kicked off with keynote presentations from industry leaders - including Samuel Madalane, Head of SANParks Rangers Division and Operation Watchdog; Roelof Schoeman, Head of Tactical Operations at Bidvest Protea Coin; Thys Klein, CEO at Genesis K9 Group; and Werner van der Westhuizen, Director at Nextorch Africa.

Through collaboration and continued investment in quality safety equipment, training, and operations, the signatories hope to combat night-time security challenges in the region.

“Law enforcement, emergency services, and private security companies all have a common goal - the protection of citizens, security guards and police officers, as well as national assets. Operation Night Watch is about recognising this and creating a platform for organisations across all these sectors to share their expertise and present a unified front. We want to keep an open line of communication and cooperation between every sector,” said van der Westhuizen.

Break-ins

An estimated 1.5 million incidents of housebreaking occurred in 2024/25, affecting 1.1 million households in South Africa, according to Stats SA’s Victims of Crime Survey. The country’s private security industry - the largest in the world with over 2.7-million registered private security officers - plays a critical role in supporting law enforcement to combat break-ins, working together with the South African Police Service to fill in the gaps.

“Private security companies are often very much embedded within communities, which gives them in-depth knowledge of high-risk areas and people’s routines. This means they can be an invaluable resource for law enforcement and emergency services in terms of providing insight and support. By signing an official declaration of cooperation, we’re creating a direct, actionable link between these sectors,” said van der Westhuizen.

Other key attendees at the Operation Night Watch launch included representatives from 25 private security companies, including ProShield, SDS Security, Beagle Security, and Monitornet. Nextorch Africa sponsored military-grade tactical flashlights to attendees, in line with the memorandum’s commitment to investing in operational best practices. The tactical lighting brand also provided a high-level briefing on the joint initiative, along with a range of live, tactical demonstrations of the illumination tools crucial to the new strategy.