A new website that provides local crime data and crime prevention advice was launched by the Home Office.

The crime statistics site - which can be accessed via the Home Office website (www.homeoffice.gov.uk/crime) - allows users to search by postcode and analyse local crime figures and compare them to the national average. Users can also examine findings from the British Crime Survey (BCS), the most authoritative and reliable indicator of crime trends, and look at police recorded crime statistics for each region and all of England and Wales.

The Home Secretary, David Blunkett, said: "It will give every computer user, whether at home or in the library, instant access to crime data in their area and valuable crime prevention advice.

"Providing local people with the real picture of crime in their area helps them engage with their local police force, makes the force more accountable and ensures that the police tackle the crimes that matter most in their neighbourhoods. In addition, through this website, they will be able to hear about, and contribute, to local work to keep crime down."

The information in the new web site shows, for example, that crime in Hammersmith and Fulham is well above the national average, thanks to drug offences, robbery, vehicle theft and violence against the person (see Crime in Hammersmith and Fulham).

The new website also includes advice and information about crime prevention and links to local crime reduction partnerships and police forces. The launch of the website is a key element of Home Office work to make crime statistics more transparent and more accessible.