BOURNEMOUTH has been named among the top ten worst areas in the country for sex crimes.

The town has been ranked seventh above Lambeth, Bristol and Manchester for the number of sex offences per 1,000 people.

But Dorset Police has disputed the way the figures were put together, arguing that comparing crime statistics to the residential population creates an “unrealistic image”.

The shocking figures were revealed by a Sunday newspaper which listed the worst and safest areas for criminal damage, burglary, sex offences and vehicle crime.

The police say Bournemouth attracts thousands of people to its bars, pubs and clubs from other towns in Dorset and elsewhere in the country, making the night time population far higher than the residential population of 163,000.

Superintendent Sara Glen, head of public prevention, said: “As a result of this influx of visitors, comparing crime statistics to the residential population creates an unrealistic image of the town.

“In addition to this, sexual offences, particularly rape, are nationally underreported to the police. In Dorset, where public confidence in the local police force is incredibly high, it is likely that underreporting is considerably less of an issue.”

There were 471 sex offences reported in Bournemouth and Poole division in 2008/09. Of these, 320 were reported to have happened in Bournemouth.

Out of the total sex offences recorded in the two towns, 123 were rapes, 198 were sexual assaults, 22 were other serious sexual offences and 128 non-serious sexual offences.

Only 15 reported rapes were alleged to have been committed by strangers, with 40 being domestic-related and 43 committed by a friend or acquaintance. A total of 26 were alcohol-related.

Supt Glen added: “Dorset Police has conducted several high-profile campaigns – including advice on staying safe while out at night and the dangers of excessive alcohol consumption – and we continue to extensively investigate all reported sexual offences.”

* Rapist Rasuijon Kuchkarov pleaded guilty in December to attacking a young woman as she tried to make her way home after a fancy dress party in Bournemouth.

The local woman, in her 20s, was raped in Bournemouth’s Lower Gardens near the Pavilion. Bournemouth Crown Court was told she was pulled into the gardens as she made her way along Westover Road.