Crime rates in England 'worse than US'

The study for the UN Office on Drugs and Crime found England and Wales together had more burglaries and robberies per 100,000 people than the United States in 2006.

Offenders were locked up for shorter periods than in comparable countries, the research also revealed.

In an analysis of the figures by think-tank Civitas, which compared only those countries which were members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), England and Wales were ranked fifth for burglaries, with a rate of 1,157.7 per 100,000 people.

This compared with 714.4 for the US, and was worse than Slovenia at 902.9, the Czech Republic at 523.3, and Turkey at 216.9.

For rapes, England and Wales were ranked eighth, worse than Norway, Germany and Poland.

And for car thefts, England and Wales were seventh – worse than the Czech Republic , Greece, Mexico, Chile and Slovenia.

But England and Wales together fared better when it came to "intentional homicides" and major assaults, being ranked 15th and 18th respectively.

The figures are from 2006, the latest year for which comparable statistics are available, and draw together crimes recorded by police in the countries studied.

A Home Office spokesman said: "This data is now more than four years old, but highlights that we have a high level of crime compared to other countries. This backs up the perceptions of many communities who have real concerns about stubbornly high levels of serious crimes."

A Ministry of Justice spokeswoman added: "Between 1995 and 2009, the prison population in England and Wales grew by 32,500 or 66 per cent. But this rise has not had a comparative effect either on public confidence in the criminal justice system, or on reoffending."