Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

Headline crime increased by 8% in the first quarter of 2006 compared with the same quarter of 2005, and I am not dodging that fact. There was an increase of about 7% across a number of categories, but it is a mixed picture. A total of 25 headline offences have been listed by the Garda, in 13 of which decreases were recorded and in 12 increases were recorded.

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