CROYDON is the 15th least peaceful place in England and Wales, new research has found.
The UK Peace Index, produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace, found the borough has more violence and fear of crime than areas such as Manchester and Birmingham.
The study defines peace as the "absence of violence or fear of violence" and used Home Office data on crime, such as murder, public order offences, use of weapons and police officer numbers, between 2003 and 2012.
Croydon was given a score of 3.931, similar to areas of Northern Ireland, but below 14 other London boroughs.
Lewisham was found to be the least peaceful place in Britain, with a score of 4.529. Broadland, in Norfolk, is Britain's most peaceful place with 1.164.
Overall researchers found that rates of murder and violent crime have fallen more rapidly in the UK in the past decade than in many other countries in Western Europe.
The homicide rate in Britain has halved since 2003, from 1.99 per 100,000 people to 1 per 100,000, with a similar reduction in violent crimes.
The improvement has not been as great in London, which remains the least peaceful place in Britain. Researchers found a correlation between peacefulness and issues such as poverty, inequality and the number of stop and searches undertaken by police.
The study put the total cost of violence to the economy in 2012 at £124 billion, and said a 25 per cent reduction would be enough to build the Birmingham Motorway, the Forth Replacement Bridge in Edinburgh and London Crossrail.
To read the full report click here.
The UK Peace Index, produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace, found the borough has more violence and fear of crime than areas such as Manchester and Birmingham.
The study defines peace as the "absence of violence or fear of violence" and used Home Office data on crime, such as murder, public order offences, use of weapons and police officer numbers, between 2003 and 2012.
Croydon was given a score of 3.931, similar to areas of Northern Ireland, but below 14 other London boroughs.
Lewisham was found to be the least peaceful place in Britain, with a score of 4.529. Broadland, in Norfolk, is Britain's most peaceful place with 1.164.
Overall researchers found that rates of murder and violent crime have fallen more rapidly in the UK in the past decade than in many other countries in Western Europe.
The homicide rate in Britain has halved since 2003, from 1.99 per 100,000 people to 1 per 100,000, with a similar reduction in violent crimes.
The improvement has not been as great in London, which remains the least peaceful place in Britain. Researchers found a correlation between peacefulness and issues such as poverty, inequality and the number of stop and searches undertaken by police.
The study put the total cost of violence to the economy in 2012 at £124 billion, and said a 25 per cent reduction would be enough to build the Birmingham Motorway, the Forth Replacement Bridge in Edinburgh and London Crossrail.
To read the full report click here.
