WOKING is the fourth safest town centre in the country, according to a survey of crime statistics.

The town had the lowest rate of street crime, with a “safety score” of 9.69 out of 10. There were  6,556 recorded crimes in Woking in the year ending  June 2022, equating to 63 per 1,000 people, according to a report by Get Licensed, a security industry training and employment company.

Reading was the safest town, with 59 crimes per 1,000 people, followed by Swansea (60) and Newport (61).

The survey covered the 50 towns and cities with the highest populations.

It found that Woking had the third highest proportion of CCTV cameras at 54.4, or a total number of 544.

Portsmouth had the highest with 97.9 per 1,000 people (2,101 cameras) followed by Blackpool on 59.2 (819).

According to the survey, there were 5.78 incidents of criminal damage and arson per 1,000 people in Woking, 2.72 incidents of shop lifting, 0.54 thefts and 0.44 non-residential burglaries.

The least safe city or town centre was the City of London at 773 crimes per 1,000 people, followed by Salford (450), Bolton (260), Bradford (254) and Leeds (244).

Lisa Townsend, the Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner, said: “That Woking has been recognised as the fourth safest town centre in the country is a testament to the hard work of our policing teams in the town and surrounding areas.

“Much work has been done in Woking to ensure residents not only are safe, but feel safe too.

“Surrey continues to have the fourth lowest crime rate out of the 43 police forces across England and Wales. It also remains the safest county in the South-East.”