Reading town centre among most crime-ridden in England and Wales

This paper’s analysis of more than three million crime reports across the two nations exposes the heart of the town as one of the most crime-plagued.

Hotpots of criminality have been identified by comparing crime report figures in "LSOA areas" - or neighbourhoods - between March and August this year with Census population data.

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This analysis puts Reading in the top 50 in England and Wales, ranking the LSOA neighbourhood 27 for crime out of the 33,000 contained within the two nations.

The neighbourhood ranks ahead of other towns and cities such as Bristol, Swansea, Bournemouth and Liverpool.

The LSOA neighbourhood Source: GOV.UK

In fact, more crime reports were recorded in that period than people living in the neighbourhood, which covers much of the central shopping district and nightclubs.

The data from Thames Valley Police reveals nearly 400 violent and sexual offences, scores of bicycle thefts and more than 200 public order offences reported to the force.

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In total, police received 1,210 crime reports in six months – slightly less than the 1,530 people living in the neighbourhood, according to 2011 Census data.

The crime-ridden town centre is in stark contrast to Reading's ranking against other authorities nationally.

Using the crime reports per 100 Census population comparison, the borough is ranked as the 89th worst out of 340 authorities for crime.

What does the data show?

Between March and August this year, there were 1,210 crime reports in the town centre area, which encompasses St Mary's Butts, Friar Street and streets within.

This included 3,885 reports of violent and sexual offences - ranking this neighbourhood 77th for this type of crime in England and Wales.