Durham Uni 'Third Lowest Crime Rate'

19 June 2012, 09:27 | Updated: 30 March 2016, 13:50

Durham University's been listed among the three universities in England and Wales with the lowest crime rate.

The Complete University Guide lists 103 Unis in terms of burglary, robbery and violent crimes including sex crimes - offences it says are most likely to affect students.

The Universities of Buckingham, Aberystwyth and Durham topped the list with the lowest overall crime rate.

Dr Bernard Kingston, the guide's founder, said it uses police crime statistics for crimes affecting all victims in council wards within three miles of a university's main campus because no specific statistics for crimes against students are available.

The guide claims an estimated one-third of students become victims of crime, mainly theft and burglary, and about 20% of student robberies occur in the first six weeks of the academic year.

Universities in London dominated the bottom end, filling the worst 18 places, with London Metropolitan, King's College and South Bank University making up the bottom three.

Outside London, Manchester Metropolitan, Leeds and Manchester had the highest crime rates.

Information on crimes against students at universities should be made available to prospective undergraduates, according to Dr Kingston, who is behind the campus guide that has ranked them all in terms of safety for the first time.

"It is clearly a matter of considerable concern when considering where to study as an undergraduate.''

The guide claims an estimated one-third of students become victims of crime, mainly theft and burglary, and about 20% of student robberies occur in the first six weeks of the academic year.