Harper Adams University named as safest in West Midlands

The university had the lowest number of student-relevant crime – burglary, robbery and violent crime – within three miles of its campus in Edgmond, near Newport, according to a report.

The findings have been published by the independent Complete University Guide using official police data, giving the clearest picture possible of the crime rates for almost 120 universities in England and Wales.

According to the figures – which were based on the number of reported incidents per 1,000 residents – between May 2012 and April 2013 the area around Harper Adams saw 0.92 incidents per 1,000. It made the university the sixth safest in England and Wales outside London.

Dr David Llewellyn, vice-chancellor of Harper Adams University, said: "We are very pleased to have been ranked the safest university in the West Midlands and among the safest in the UK."

Bernard Kingston, founder of the Complete University Guide, said: "While these crimes are the three most commonly perpetrated against students, the figures relate to all victims, not just students. And they relate to the areas surrounding universities, not solely to university premises.

"All prospective students should be able to assess risks for individual institutions with much greater precision and, in the absence of data for crimes affecting university students specifically, either on or off campuses, this survey offers the best available guide.

"But it would be reassuring for university applicants and their parents if such information was readily available from the universities. It is clearly a matter of considerable concern when considering where to study as an undergraduate.

"Our universities do not exist in isolation from the communities within which they are located, and, regrettably, crime is a constant presence."

Three universities in Birmingham – Birmingham City University, the University of Birmingham and University College Birmingham – had the highest incidence of crime in the West Midlands.

The University of Staffordshire in Stoke-on-Trent had the highest incidence of violent crime.