A NEW method of studying crime figures has revealed Southampton to be in the top ten cities for recorded rapes.

Figures released today by government think tank group Reform compares the number of serious crimes committed in a city with the number of people who live there.

In the case of rape, the group found that in Southampton 128 rapes were reported in 2005. If compared to the population that's 5.46 rapes committed for every 10,000 living in the city - ranking the city tenth in a league table and above the national city crime average of 3.91 per 10,000.

Portsmouth topped the table with 6.58 rape offences recorded for every 10,000 in the city.

Along with the offence of rape six other serious crimes were used to compile the league table.

The number of murders, assaults, burglaries robberies, car and gun crime were also compared.

In every other area Southampton ranked well below the city average giving it an overall rating of 35th most crime-ridden city out of the 55 studied.

Calculations showed that overall Southampton recorded 12,268 serious crimes in 2005. That is a rate of 52.38 crimes committed per 1,000.

Portsmouth ranked 32nd with a rate of 54.07 - the average rate was 61.42.

Topping the table was Nottingham with a rate of 115.54 serious crimes committed per 1,000 people. While at the other end of the table Poole was named as one of the safest cities recording just 4,737 serious crimes - giving it a crime rate of 30.91 offences per 1,000 people in the city.

The report published today has been criticised by police chiefs but report co-author Blair Gibbs said the study was a useful way of comparing crime levels.

The government's key message that crime has been falling masks a huge variation between the safest and most dangerous urban areas.

Mr Gibbs said: "Better information and improved policing based on direct accountability to local communities is urgently needed to drive down crime and increase public safety"

Reform said that their table could be taken as a "starting point" for a new way of analysing crime data, based on methods used in the US for 12 years.