War And Peas In City Centre

City centre hotspot Peas Hill has been branded one of the most dangerous streets in England and Wales, according to new crime maps released by the police today.

In the national survey of crime, Peas Hill, the short street near the Corpus Playroom and the Cambridge Arts Theatre, was deemed the 6th worst in the country, with a whopping 127 reported crimes last December.

The Top 5 Worst Streets For Crime In Cambridge.

Paul Ormerod, Cambridgeshire Constabulary Police Inspector and Safer Neighbourhoods Manager, slammed the survey and questioned its accuracy, stating: “During 2010 there were only eight crimes in Peas Hill, and no crimes during December.”

In a press statement released this morning, Ormerod also claimed that the street only appears so high because the map does not consider nearby areas, such as Market Street, Market Square, and Lion Yard.

The survey results nationwide saw Newgate Street, Newcastle, as having the most anti-social behaviour reported, and Glover’s Court, Preston, as the worst overall, with 152 crimes.

The maps were made available to the public yesterday after police launched their website police.uk.

But the website crashed within hours of launching, after 75,000 people tried to log on to check their areas every minute.

Even if Ormerod is correct, many students may not be surprised to see the centre with such a high crime rate.

Do you still feel safe in the city after seeing these statistics? Do you think the report’s a load of nonsense? Take The Tab’s survey and tell us what you think.