Priti Patel introduces the Public Order Bill

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The West Yorkshire city tops a list of the 10 most dangerous cities in the continent with Coventry ranked in second place and Birmingham fourth. The study from Expatriate Consultancy describes Bradford as “quite a dangerous city, with crime rates almost twice the national average”.

Drugs, prostitution and violent crime are identified in the analysis as the main types of lawbreaking with Bradford city centre described as a particularly dangerous area as well as the neighbourhoods of Girlington, Clayton, Little Horton and Manningham.

The study adds: “For a few years, the city was a hotspot for rapes and sexual assaults, particularly in Keighley, a Bradford district that was also home to one of the many child grooming gangs operating in the UK at the time.”

In terms of crime, Bradford is comparable to Saint Louis in the US and Sao Paolo in Brazil with a crime index score of 70.76, according to the study.

Bradford District Commander, Chief Superintendent Rob McCoubrey, dismissed the study and questioned its credibility.

He told Express.co.uk: “West Yorkshire Police do not recognise this data and do not accept how any methodology can provide a credible comparison across continents, countries, and cities.

“Bradford is a safe place to live, work and visit. Like any city where deprivation and poverty exist there are of course challenges.

“However, we work closely with partner agencies and communities to effectively tackle issues as they emerge. For example, over the last three years knife crime in Bradford has fallen by 19 percent and residential burglaries by 57 percent.

“It is disappointing that this survey fails to recognise many of the attributes that make Bradford such a fantastic city.”

He added the service’s crime data is set by the Home Office and West Yorkshire Police adhere to strict rules.

Chief Superintendent McCoubrey said: “We are rated as ‘outstanding’ by [Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services] in respect of how we record crimes, so people in Bradford can have confidence that when they report crime it will be properly recorded and acted upon.”

Coventry “lost the top spot” to Bradford in the biannual ranking which Expatriate Consultancy says uses data focused on increases in crime over the past three years on “perceived” crime and safety levels.

The information is used to build a crime index with Expatriate Consultancy saying only cities with enough data to be statistically reliable are included.

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Coventry’s crime index score is 69.45, although the study admits the ranking may be “slightly unfair” because rates are “falling drastically” with an almost 50 percent decrease between 2020-21.

Birmingham, which this year hosted the Commonwealth Games, has a crime index score of 61.53.

The study says the West Midlands city saw 116.93 crimes reported for every 1,000 inhabitants last year.

It adds: “[M]any parts of the city are blighted by gangs and drugs.”

Birmingham Police Commander, Chief Superintendent Richard North, challenged the findings covering Coventry as well as his patch.

He told Express.co.uk: “I don’t recognise this survey or the perceptions of crime and safety on which it’s largely based.

“The Home Office has set out very rigorous rules for how police forces record crimes in England and Wales. I think the comparison with other countries is very difficult to make in any meaningful way; undoubtedly, different countries record crimes at different thresholds.

“The rules in this country are exceptionally detailed and I am confident that has resulted in a higher level of crime being recorded. It is also of note that West Midlands has been cited as now having a very high level of compliance with these rules.”

Chief Superintendent North continued: “The Commonwealth Games gave Birmingham a platform to shine on a global stage. People across the globe have seen the best of Birmingham, its people and attractions. The event has done wonders to shift perceptions about the city and it’s a shame this survey doesn’t recognise that.

“I’m sure the overwhelming majority of the million or so visitors to Birmingham for the Games, who’ve received a warm welcome and enjoyed the city, would be equally sceptical of these survey findings.”

The study identifies the 10 “most dangerous” cities in Europe as Bradford, Coventry, Marseille, Birmingham, Catania, Nantes, Minsk, Nice, Naples and Malmo.

Copenhagen, Dublin, Madrid, Lisbon and Warsaw are identified in the study as safer European cities.

Caracas in Venezuela is identified as the worst city in the world when it comes to crime and safety with a value of 84, according to the study.

The Home Office has been approached.

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