Liverpool named as the second safest city to live in

Hooray! The stats bods have released some info that confirms we're up there with the safest cities in the country.

It’s always nice for Liverpool to get a nod for something. Over the past year we’ve had an array of recognition thrust upon us: the UK’s friendliest city, best city for nightlife, fastest growing economy outside of London, best special effects. Oh, maybe we’re getting our awards confused there. Whatever. This one, though, feels really important.

The UK Statistics Authority last week, at the request of MP Philip Hollobone, released crime figures that spanned across the country’s police forces. Amongst other things, they confirm Liverpool’s the second safest UK city to live in, after Newcastle. You wouldn’t think it, reading the red-faced horror headlines every day in the local media, but it’s true, and the stats speak for themselves now: this place is a lot safer than it used to be.

The figures make some interesting reading. According to the 2011/12 stats, 10 people in every thousand here are burgled. Just six in a thousand are a victim of some sort of car crime – a break-in or stolen vehicle. When it comes to street crime, we’re half as likely to get mugged or beaten up as Londoners. We are, though, twice as likely to bump into Jimmy Corkhill at a theatre.

Compared to other cities is where it gets really interesting: in Birmingham, you’re 10% more likely to have your home burgled than in Liverpool. In Manchester and London, it’s 20%. In Leeds it goes up to 30%, and Sheffield it rises to a whopping 50%.

Of course, this only covers reported crimes. But it’s all encouraging reading, and something to move forward with. For a place that’s had an unfairly sticky reputation in the media for being unsafe, these official statistics are a pleasant surprise, and very welcome.

29 October 2012

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Littoral

This isn’t news you know. Liverpool and Merseyside has been amongst the large urban areas with the lowest crime rates for twenty years or so. Also, I’m not sure of Marcus’ comment about the city’s size. Firstly, Liverpool IS one of the biggest cities in the UK, forgetting arbritary boundaries for a moment, easily much larger than Leeds, Sheffield and Newcastle, for example and much closer in real size to Brum and Mcr than many seem to think and secondly, the crime rates are *per head*.
If anyone is wondering whether the figures are “skewed” by being only the reported ones, please note that in the seperate British Crime Survey, which is assembled by canvassing techniques and doesn’t use the police’s reported crimes stats, each time the BCS also indicates that Liverpool and the Merseyside constabulary area as a whole are amongst the very safest of urban areas nationally.
Robbie

Littoral: the internet bore equivalent of the guy who comes to your party and does a massive, stinking, unflushable turd in your toilet.
Littoral

Sorry Jobbie, I mean Robbie.
http://www.sevenstreets.com/ SevenStreets

Hi – I think you commented while I was still editing the piece, re: the city’s size. Yep, it’s one of the biggest.

As to whether it’s ‘news’ or not, well it will be to some people. This sort of thing will be fresh to a lot of people – and ultimately, it’s nice to remind ourselves (and outsiders) every now and again that this is actually, contrary to some beliefs, continues to be a really safe place. And well boss, obv.
Littoral

Fair enough. And yes Robbie is correct, I am a big talking poo, like Mr Hanky on South Park.
James

I agree this isn’t news, but it only isn’t news to people “in the know” and people who live here – so we do need to shout about it, I think.

You only have to read the comment streams after many national stories that concern Liverpool in whatever form or reason and read (dependent on news outlet probably) at least a trickle and often a torrent of vile anti-Liverpudlian bile, much of it leveling accusations of chronic and epidemic kleptomania (with a curious fixation on hub-caps and stealing wheels, which I wouldn’t have considered to be overly valuable, actually), dishonesty and idleness.

if the things said about us were said about other groups of people there would be uproar and criminal charges, but even more galling is that there is no truth in any of it. In fact, compared to the people who level such abuse at us, we’re practically paragons of how to conduct yourself civilly.

I say, broadcast this as loud as you can – not so much for the benefit of the prejudiced, but simply so as many international travelers hear it as possible and choose to visit us instead of dull crime riddled UK cities.
Rachel

Lovely ammunition for every time i go to work in the South and have to listen to another tosser asking if i’ve nicked their car
Mark

Then why is our car insurance the highest in the country? Some insurers run a mile when you mention an ‘L’ postcode!
thenorthernist

Excellent news. Got to agree with Mark about car insurance, it was far more expensive when we lived in Liverpool than elsewhere in England. I hope the costs start to reflect crime statistices more accurately.
Peter

In my eyes, the feeling of ‘safety’ is very subjective. But for me personally this statistic actually underlines a feeling that I have got when walking Liverpool (or in my case – the Ropewalks mainly) by day or night: I feel safe, very safe.
For example, I have lived in a town called Beverley (Yorkshire) before, and did not feel as safe… Apples and pears!? I know, but it is evident that Liverpool is a safe (and fantastic!) place to live! At least it seems evident to me and the guys who do the statistics…
Peter
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Craig

I am planning to move to Liverpool from London and must say everytime I have visited (once every two weeks because of my girlfriend living there) I fall in love with the place more and more. The people are lovely and I have never ever felt threatened- it’s a great city and I can’t wait to get there and get involved with the music and theatre scenes.