The most crime-hits areas of Ashford and Shepway have been revealed as part of a radical overhaul of the way crime figures are delivered to the public.

Kent Police have put the statistics just a click away, so now you can compare your town's crime levels with the one down the road and find out how much crime is in the neighbourhood where you're buying a home.

The site lists various types of offences including robbery, violence against a person and anti-social behaviour down to ward level.

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How good or bad are crime levels in your area? Click on this link to see the figures for where you live>>>

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The centre of Ashford is the worst in the borough for crime and Kingsnorth is the safest.

Figures from Kent Police show that Ashford’s Victoria ward, which includes the town centre, has had 274.5 overall crimes per 1,000 people in the last year.

Meanwhile the Park Farm South ward, which includes Kingsnorth, has the lowest level at 22.9 per 1,000.

Kent Police have issued crime figures for every single ward in Kent to compare neighbourhoods, covering November 2007 to last October.

Ch Insp Martin Cunningham, from the Kent Police Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “A lot of people are interested in crime in their areas and how that compares to other areas.

“Once people start using it we might identify improvements that we can make.”

The top five crime hotspots for Ashford also include Norman ward, east of Stanhope, which had 223.1 crimes per 1,000; and Aylesford Green, including part of Willesborough at 103.9. Stour, between the ring road and M20, had 101.3, and Stanhope, 101.

The figures break down into anti-social behaviour, burglary, robbery, vehicle crime and violence against the person and show rises and falls in offences.

Victoria ward had high levels of anti-social behaviour, at 169.9 per 1,000 although these fell by 20.1 per cent over the year. The high figure of violence against the person, 64.5, also dropped to 10.8 per cent.

Of the worst five Aylesford Green had the worst overall rise, at 6.8 per cent, while Stour had the biggest fall, down 7.6 per cent.

Mr Cunningham also said the figures could provide reassurance because people could discover crime in their neighbourhood is lower than they think

Ashford’s other five safest areas are Rolvenden and Tenterden West with 24.2 overall crimes per 1,000 people; Little Burton Farm, near the Julie Rose Stadium, at 25.2; Ashford St Michael’s at Tenterden, 28.6, and Weald North, which has Smarden, 29.

Ashford is the sixth safest of Kent’s 13 districts, with 68.8 crimes per 1,000 people.

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Central Folkestone is the worst in Shepway for crime.

Figures from Kent Police show that Folkestone Harvey Central ward, in the town centre, has had a total 305 crimes per 1,000 people in the last year.

The Elham and Stelling Minnis ward had just 17.2 per 1,000.

Kent Police have issued crime figures for every single ward in Kent to compare neighbourhoods, covering November 2007 to last October.

The top five crime hotspots for Shepway also include Folkestone Harbour, which had 152.7 crimes per 1,000 people, Folkestone Foord at 81.1, Folkestone East had 78.3 and Folkestone Park, east of Cherry Garden Avenue, had 76.5.

The figures break down into anti-social behaviour, burglary, robbery, vehicle crime and violence against the person and show rises and falls in offences.

Harvey Central’s worst figure is for anti-social behaviour, at 196.6 per 1,000 although that fell by 17.9 per cent. Second worst was violence, at 83, which rose by 10.2 per cent.

Shepway’s five safest areas include New Romney Coast, covering Littlestone, at 25.8, and North Downs East, which has Hawkinge, at 33.1. The others are North Downs West, including Sellindge, at 36.2 and Dymchurch and St Mary’s Bay at 37.6.

County-wide Shepway sits squarely in the middle, coming seventh out of Kent’s 13 districts with 70.6 in total crimes per 1,000 people.