SMU Associate Professor of Law and NMP Eugene Tan, who studies social and immigration issues, commented on the record number of detections of smuggling attempts in 2013 by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority. He attributed the downward trend to effective policing. He said: "It's no mean feat, given that the economy continues to hum along all these years. This would make it very attractive for economic migrants, but syndicates or individuals thinking of entering Singapore illegally probably have realised that it is not an easy option."