A new way of looking at crime statistics has identified Norwich as one of the safest places in the UK.

A new way of looking at crime statistics has identified Norwich as one of the safest places in the UK.

The statistics found that Nottingham was the most crime-ridden place in England and Wales, with four times the amount of crime seen in the towns placed at the bottom of the table - Southend and Poole, Dorset.

Of 55 towns and cities listed, Norwich was placed 47th and Ipswich 48th, while London was mid-table - in 29th place.

The think-tank Reform said its league table of all 55 towns and cities with more than 100,000 residents revealed “huge variations” in urban crime rates.

It took latest figures for murder, rape, burglary, robbery, car crime and gun crime and came up with a crime level per 1,000 residents.

Norfolk police say they have been successful in cutting crime in Norwich.

Latest figures for the year ending March 31 show that the Norwich area policing division has succeeded in driving down robbery, burglary and vehicle crime for the third consecutive year and has also made a marked difference in reducing violent crime.

Between April 1 last year and March 31, the force says there were:

164 fewer offences of violence against the person - which is a reduction of 3pc from the previous year;

10 fewer robberies - a reduction of 5pc;

41 fewer domestic burglaries - a reduction of 4pc;

236 fewer burglaries of non-dwellings, which include offences at business premises and outbuildings - a reduction of 14pc.

302 fewer vehicle crimes - a reduction of 11pc.

Supt Jim Smerdon, who is in charge of operations throughout the city of Norwich and the villages and towns of Broadland and south Norfolk, said: “These really are excellent results and they are even more outstanding when you compare them with our performance in the previous two years. Since 2003 we have consistently driven down crime in key areas.

“I am very proud that crimes like burglary are actually at a third of what they were three or four years ago.

“I would put our success down to our dedicated officers who work hard every day to make our area a safer place to live and who strive to do their best in the communities where they work.”

Nottingham - nicknamed 'Assassination City' for its high level of gun crime - had 115.54 crimes in the overall calculation, followed by Leeds (107.22), Stockport (100.42) and Bradford (100.4).

The figures for Southend, Colchester and Norwich were 30.91, 33.9 and 42.64 respectively.