The Operation Staysafe patrols were staged in 27 areas of England at the weekend in an attempt to prevent children becoming victims of crime or being drawn into criminal behaviour.
On Friday evening (20 February), around 1,000 young people were spoken to by the police; of these, 120 were returned to their homes.
A total of 103 referrals were made to other services including family support teams, parenting programmes and alcohol awareness projects.
Types of behaviour that attracted attention included drunkenness, drug misuse, being out late at night with nowhere to stay and large groups behaving antisocially.
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said: "Most parents would be horrified to receive a knock on the door from police returning their child to them. But there are too many who think it is acceptable to allow their child to stay out late where they may be vulnerable to becoming victims of crime or committing crime."
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