Police officers patrolling the streets of Caerphilly County Borough managed to catch 20 children skipping school as part of a four day operation.
Officers patrolled Caerphilly in October and November as part of the anti-truancy operation, conducted in partnership with Caerphilly County Borough Council’s education welfare officers.
Comprehensive schools reported 144 unauthorised absences on the days the operation was carried out, which were in October and November, but only 20 school children were caught.
Parents of the pupils were sent letters.
PC Phil Thomas, from Caerphilly Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “We often find that those pupils who are truanting get up to no good and take part in anti-social behaviour.”
Councillor Phil Bevan, the council’s cabinet member for education and leisure,said the operation aimed to stop truancy.