Security patrols put a vehicle or an officer on foot past your property at set or random times, so you get a regular look at the site without paying for a guard on a fixed post. They suit shops, factories and business parks after hours, empty buildings, farms and neighbourhoods where residents share the cost. Tell us the address, the hours and the rounds you want, and PSIRA-registered patrol companies quote you for free, with no obligation.
Vehicle patrols, foot patrols and random rounds
A vehicle patrol covers many sites in a zone and suits fences, yards and streets. A foot patrol walks the buildings, stairwells and parking decks, and suits a mall, a complex or a large warehouse. Scheduled patrols arrive at fixed times, which are easy to plan around but easy to watch. Random patrols vary the times within a window, which is harder for a trespasser to predict.
Ask how many visits a night you are buying, how long an officer stays on your site, and whether the patrol vehicle carries a spotlight, a radio and a first aid kit.
Checkpoints and patrol reports
A patrol is only worth paying for if you can see it happened. Ask for tour checkpoints, small tags or tokens fixed at the gate, the back door, the loading bay and the far corner of the fence. The officer scans each one and the system records the time. Compare that record with the visits you were promised.
- A report after every visit, or a daily summary by email or app.
- Photos of anything found open, damaged or out of place.
- An occurrence entry that includes the vehicle used.
- Clear steps for who the officer calls if something is wrong.
Shared and community patrols
Neighbours, a body corporate or a business park can share one patrol contract so each pays a fraction. In an industrial area the owners often split a vehicle that circles the whole park, while a residential street may join a neighbourhood scheme run by a community policing forum or a security company. Agree who gives instructions, what happens if one member stops paying and how the vehicle's route is set.
Check that every member's property is on the route, and that incidents are shared in a group chat or radio channel.
After-hours lock-up and alarm verification
Patrol companies often offer two useful extras. A lock-up check has an officer visit at closing time to see that doors, windows, roller shutters and gates are secured and that nothing is left in the yard. An alarm verification visit sends a patrol officer to look at the site when an alarm trips, before or alongside armed response. Pricing depends on the number of visits and the distance between sites. For a site that needs someone present all night, a fixed security guard post is the better fit.
What to include in your request
- The address and a sketch of the site layout
- Hours to be covered and visits a night
- Vehicle or foot patrols, random or fixed
- Whether neighbours will share the contract
- Report format and who the officer calls
Security Patrols for different sites
- Homeowners and families: a neighbourhood patrol that passes your street several times a night
- Estates, complexes and body corporates: a roving officer inside the estate and along the perimeter wall
- Offices, shops and retail centres: after-hours rounds and a lock-up check on shops and offices
- Factories, warehouses and yards: random vehicle patrols of the yard, fence line and loading bays
- Building sites and contractors: night rounds of the site container, fence and gate when no guard is posted
- Farms and smallholdings: rounds of sheds, gates and fences, often shared between neighbouring farms
- Events, venues, hotels and lodges: foot patrols of parking, grounds and rooms in the evenings
- Schools, clinics and churches: after-hours rounds of school grounds, classrooms and the church hall
Frequently asked questions
How much do security patrols cost?
Is a patrol cheaper than a guard?
Can patrols stop a break-in?
What should a patrol report show?
Security Patrols by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg