According to European Commission statistics, more than three times as many rapes, sexual assaults, robberies and physical assaults have been recorded in Britain as compared to other nations of the continent, particularly France.
Britain also had the highest number of burglaries and one of the lowest numbers of police officers per head of population, according to the statistics published by the Commission's statistical arm 'Eurostat'.
Eurostat analysts compared UK crime statistics from 2002 to 2008 with the rest of the EU. More than one million violent crimes were committed in Britain in 2008, the highest total for any European country. France was next with 331,778, the 'Daily Express' reported.
The UK also recorded the highest number of domestic burglaries -- 284,427. This was over 50 per cent more than France and Italy, which were second and third.
In total, Eurostat said more than 4.7 million crimes of all categories were recorded in the UK in 2008 -- more than six a minute -- and second only to Germany. The figure included 785 murders, topped by France with 839.
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