The Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF) today announced that it had identified and questioned 15 people in Olhão in an operation designed to identify those involved in the sexual exploitation of women and international people trafficing.
The stopping and questioning of foreigners took place as part of Operation Safe Summer 2014, which continues until September 15th.
"In the course of our actions, of the 15 foreign nationals were identified, two were in the country illegally," said the SEF, in today's statement.
A spokesman added that one person was taken to court in Olhão and had now to report to the SEF in Faro at regular intervals. Another was told to leave the country as he lacked a visa or a residence permit.
Whether the targetting for foreigners in this instance was anything to do with people trafficing or sexual explotation of women remains unclear as many of the actions under Operation Safe Summer seem devised to check foreigners' documentation.
If any of the 15 questioned in Olhão were indeed part of an organised crime network, the SEF presumably would have said so.
If foreigners are being stopped just because the SEF imagines Operation Safe Summer gives it a good excuse to do so, that is another matter and should they catch a criminal this will be more by chance than through a carefully targetted operation, which they would have us believe is the case.
