The Home Office statistics show over 49 violent incidents per 1,000 people in Leicester since last April, while Nottingham has seen just 36 per 1,000.

It goes against recent national media publicity labelling Nottingham the gun crime capital of the UK.

Leicester City Council said the figures were already out of date and serious violent offences had fallen sharply.

'Unfair' figures

Sgt Peter Wiliams from Leicester police said: "The city is bucking a national trend as we had fewer violent offences now than in the year before.

"We had a particularly successful Christmas campaign and we had big reductions in the upper level violent offences - GBH, ABH and robbery were all down and continured to fall in the New Year."

Mark Farmer from Leicester City Council said: "You are far more likely to be a victim of crime in Nottingham than in Leicester.

"To take one set of figures is unfair as we have had a big reduction in serious violent crime.

"We have only seen an increase in the past months in low-level anti-social behaviour."