patrol
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patrol
A group of people, usually soldiers, police officers, or security forces, who regularly walk or drive through a certain area in order to secure and monitor it.
Eine Patrouille der Grenzpolizei entdeckte die Spuren im Schnee.
A border police patrol discovered the tracks in the snow.
patrol
The act of patrolling itself; a security round or inspection route through an area.
Die Wachleute gehen jede Stunde auf Patrouille durch das Fabrikgelände.
The guards go on patrol through the factory grounds every hour.
You can recognize the meaning from the sentence structure. When 'Patrouille' is the subject or object, it means the group. When it appears with the preposition 'auf' and a verb like 'gehen' (to go) or 'sein' (to be), it refers to the action.
Der Kommandant schickte eine Patrouille los. (Gruppe)
The commander sent out a patrol. (group)
When the group is meant, 'Patrouille' is often combined with verbs such as 'entdecken' (to discover), 'sehen' (to see), 'stoppen' (to stop), or 'aussenden' (to send out).
An der Kreuzung sahen wir eine Patrouille der Polizei.
At the intersection, we saw a police patrol.
To express the activity of patrolling, German almost always uses the fixed expressions 'auf Patrouille gehen' (to go on patrol), 'auf Patrouille fahren' (to drive/go on patrol), or 'auf Patrouille sein' (to be on patrol).
Zwei Polizisten gehen jeden Abend im Park auf Patrouille.
Two police officers go on patrol in the park every evening.
tour / patrol
Rundgang refers primarily to the regular inspection route followed during a security round. Patrouille places more emphasis on the security operation carried out by security personnel, often as a group. Rundgang is suitable for the route, while Patrouille is more appropriate for the security patrol.
Während der Patrouille überwachten die Sicherheitskräfte das Gelände.
During the patrol, the security personnel monitored the site.
Der Wachmann beendet jeden Abend seinen Rundgang durch das Gebäude.
Every evening, the guard finishes his patrol through the building.
