To The Independent

We are deeply concerned about a report you intend to run which places Nottingham at the top of a table for crime levels in university cities, and would urge you to reconsider publication. Whilst accepting it is raising an important issue and is based upon research from a respected source and on Home Office figures, we nevertheless feel strongly that it misrepresents the reality of the situation in Nottingham in a way that we have fallen victim to before. We also accept that someone has to be at the top of the table but are sure that it is only a flawed understanding of our boundaries that has put Nottingham there.

This report, like so many before it, has compared apples with pears in respect of Nottingham. The City of Nottingham has a population of just 286,000, while Greater Nottingham’s population is over 647,000. When being compared to large cities like Manchester, figures for Greater Nottingham should be used. It’s self-evident that when leafy suburbs are included in crime statistics (as they are for other cities), a very different picture will emerge. This is particularly relevant for this study, as almost half of the students attending Nottingham’s two universities live outside the City of Nottingham – and many of those in some of the conurbation’s most affluent areas. We have been unable to establish the detail of the methodology used by Dr Kingston but it would appear that in two of the categories, Greater Nottingham would drop to fifth place (burglary) and sixth place (robbery).

We are sure you will appreciate the sort of impact this sort of report – and the headlines it can generate locally, nationally and internationally - can have on our city generally, and specifically on the number of students choosing our universities. Certainly a dip in the number of applications was noted last time negative headlines were generated from a similarly flawed understanding of Nottingham’s boundaries.

Far from being dangerous, Nottingham is a thriving, welcoming city which remains among the most popular choices for students in the country – with the University of Nottingham a top five choice again this year and Nottingham Trent University seeing the biggest rise in applicants in the country. Not only that but around a third of our students remain in Nottingham to work and settle – a clear sign that rather than being dangerous, the vast majority of students have a safe and happy time here.

Furthermore, figures show that crime against students – which this report markedly does not measure - is falling in Nottingham (for example burglary, which students are prone to fall victim to, has fallen by 22%), no doubt thanks to the efforts of a range of agencies working together to safeguard vulnerable students from becoming victims of crime.

More generally, the City of Nottingham has seen an impressive 10% reduction in overall crime according to latest Police statistics (1st April 2007 to 31st March 2008). Over the same period we have seen a reduction in burglary of 15%, a 9% reduction in violent crime and a 20% reduction in robbery.

The Good University Guide’s own table shows that violence against the person and robbery – the crimes that most would define as ‘dangerous’ – are low even for the City of Nottingham; figures for Greater Nottingham are even lower.

All students who come to Nottingham have access to a broad range of crime prevention advice and support and we know that the vast majority of students have a happy and safe time in Nottingham.

Please give serious thought to holding off publication of your report unless or until Greater Nottingham statistics are used in the table upon which your article will be based. Please note that these concerns have also been raised with Dr Kingston.

Yours sincerely,

Councillor Jon Collins

Leader, Nottingham City Council

Jane Todd

Chief Executive, Nottingham City Council

Shaun Beebe

City Divisional Commander, Nottinghamshire Police

Alan Given

Chief Executive, Nottingham Crime and Drugs Partnership

Professor Sir Colin Campbell

Vice-Chancellor, The University of Nottingham

Professor Neil Gorman

Vice-Chancellor, Nottingham Trent University