London 'is safer than most EU capitals

London is still one of the safer capital cities in the world to live in with a murder rate below the European average, according to international criminal justice statistics published yesterday.

The Home Office figures show that overall recorded crime levels in England and Wales fell faster in the second half of the 1990s than in the average European country.

However, the chances of becoming a victim of a burglary or car crime in England and Wales remain among the highest in the European Union.

Although violent crime rose by 20% in England and Wales between 1995 and 1999, the years covered by the international comparison, the murder rate in London remains among the lowest of all European capitals with a killing rate of 2.36 per 100,000.

The homicide figures for Northern Ireland show that the murder rate in the province dropped 55% between 1998 and 1999 as the Good Friday agreement took effect. Northern Ireland recorded a murder rate in 1999 of 3.87 per 100,000; about the same as cities such as Copenhagen and Berne.

The murder capital of the world remains Washington DC (50.82), and other capitals struggling with crime are Pretoria in South Africa (27.47) and Moscow (18.20).

England and Wales however still retain their place near the top of the European imprisonment league with 125 inmates per 100,000 inhabitants compared with a European Union average of 87 prisoners per 100,000 population. Longer sentences in England and Wales was the main reason the prison population rose between 1995 and 1999.

Within Europe only Portugal has a more punitive culture, imprisoning 142 people for each 100,000 inhabitants. These imprisonment rates are relatively low compared with Russia, which jails 729 for each 100,000, and America which has an imprisonment rate of 682 per 100,000.

The overall recorded crime rate across Europe barely changed over the period 1995 - 1999 falling by about 1% in EU member states. The largest falls were in Ireland (21%), England and Wales (10%), Scotland (8%) and Denmark (8%). Some countries outside Europe enjoyed big falls in official crime rates with the US down 16% and Canada down by 11%.

Although violent crime rose sharply in England and Wales in the second half of the 1990s, the highest rises in Europe were seen in Italy (up 37%), the Netherlands (34%) and France (31%). Violent crime in Russia fell by 46% and in America by 20%.

The Home Office minister, Charles Clarke, said the figures were encouraging but more had to be done. "Comparing the recorded crime statistics of different countries is always difficult because of a wide variation in recording practices, counting rules and offence definitions," he said.

"What they do show, however, is that crime in England and Wales is far too high - and while crime continues to fall we are still recovering from the large increases in the late 1980s and early 1990s."

The international comparisons were published as the home secretary, Jack Straw, unveiled details of his plans to introduce "custody plus" sentences, which would mean that the period in prison would be followed by an enforced programme in the community designed to prevent reoffending.