Deputy Alan Shatter:…… In response to allegations about increased crime levels in the country, the crime statistics for the 12 months ending on 30 September 2012, which the Deputies opposite choose to ignore, show reductions in 12 of the 14 crime groups. Crimes against the person are down, including homicide offences, which are down by 17.9%, sexual offences, which are down by 0.7%, and assault and related offences, which are down by 9.5%. Public order and damage to property offences are also down by 12% and 9.3%, respectively, as are drug offences, which are down by 7.1%, and weapons and explosives offences, which are down by 17.4%. It is worth saying in the context of drugs that the success of the Garda has resulted in the seizure of drugs in 2012 to a value of €100 million. Burglaries, however, increased by 10.3% during the period. They increased during that period in the context of the 100 Garda stations that are to be closed still being open, thereby proving without any doubt that the existence of those stations acted as no deterrent of any kind in respect of the upsurge in burglaries that occurred.