a naval unit serving the same function as the military police
shore patrol in American English
US
a detail of the U.S. Navy, Coast Guard, or Marine Corps acting as military police on shore
shore patrol in American English
noun
(often caps)
members of an organization in the U.S. Navy having police duties similar to those performed by military police
Abbreviation: SP
Word origin
[1940–45]This word is first recorded in the period 1940–45. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: black box, blockbuster, set-aside, whiteout, zap
Examples of 'shore patrol' in a sentence
shore patrol
This leaves just 41 surface ships, more than half of them small, in-shore patrol boats.