The most "dangerous" place to live in England and Wales has reportedly been revealed as George Osborne signals fresh public spending cuts that could have particular significance for police and council budgets.
Somewhat unsurprisingly, London remained the place where people were "most likely" to suffer a violent attack, with 2.08 assaults for every 100 people who live there.
But according to the study conducted by The Mirror, Cleveland was found to have higher rates of “victim-based crime” than London, West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester, with 7.49 crimes per 100 people.
The county’s criminal damage and arson rates were reported to be higher than any other, and was also in the top five for violent assaults and theft offences.
Mike Penning, Minister for Policing, Fire and Criminal Justice and Victims, told The Mirror: "Police reform is working and crime has fallen by more than a quarter since 2010.
"The ONS has been clear that increases in police-recorded crime are largely down to better recording by the police and increased reporting by victims."
In February, a study of cities around the world found that Vienna was the best to live in for quality of life, while capital cities London, New York and Paris failed to make the top 10.
The list included a personal safety ranking based on internal stability, crime levels, and the home country’s relationship with other countries – as well as the socioeconomic conditions of the city.
While Luxembourg, Bern, Helsinki and Zurich topped the personal safety list; Paris, London, Madrid and Athens all ranked in the 70s or below as “many suffered either terrorist attacks or social unrest in the last few years”.
