A STREET in Bolton is among the most crimeridden in the country, according to new figures.

More than 120 offences were reported in or near Great Moor Street in December, placing it in the top 10 crime hotspots.

The crime rate was revealed in street-by-street crime maps designed to give people the information they need to hold their local police to account.

But the police and Bolton Council claim the figures, available at www.police.uk, incorporate many streets in the town centre and are not a true reflection of crime.

Home Secretary Theresa May said the £300,000 website — which crashed within hours of its launch yesterday as an estimated five million people tried to access it — would help people find out what was really going on in their area.

She also denied that making such detailed information available would drive down house prices in a particular area.

She said: “This is giving people a real tool, real power to see that something is being done about crime in their area.

“This doesn't make them frightened, it actually makes them feel a part of what is happening.”

The Home Office website was criticised in many parts of the country for failing to show a true reflection of crime.

And in Bolton shoppers and workers were surprised by the figures, saying Great Moor Street was no worse than anywhere else.

Dave Golik, aged 23, who works at Body Active in Great Moor Street, said: “People think of this area of Bolton town centre as being the rough end.

“But we have never had any trouble in the shop. I think there are worse areas than this, you get crime everywhere. I have been working here for six years and nothing has happened to me. There are some places in Manchester that are 10 times worse.”

Nihat Ozel, aged 34, from The Bolton Town Coffee, in Great Moor Street, said: “The business only opened in November but in that time I have not seen any trouble.

“It is not very busy down here because there is nothing to bring people here, but when the new bus station opens this part of the town centre will be better.”

However, Anne Ashworth, assistant manager at the Marie Curie shop, said: “I am not surprised by the figures. I have been here two years and a lot of people come in drunk. I have never encountered any violence but there is a lot of shoplifting. I was really surprised by the amount of shoplifting in charity shops and pickpockets, especially around Christmas.

“But people are strong spirited, I don’t think it will put them off coming into Bolton.”

It is the first time such detailed crime maps have been available for an entire country anywhere in the world.

People can find out which crimes have taken place on or near their street within the last month, as well as the names of the officers responsible for their area.

Each crime has been sorted into one of six categories — violent crime, burglary, robbery, vehicle crime, anti-social behaviour and other crime.

Sex crimes have been included in the “other”

category, along with crimes such as theft and shoplifting, to help prevent victims from being identified.

Police say that crime in Bolton has fallen over the last few years and are reassuring residents that they will continue trying to make Bolton a safer place.

Ch Supt Steve Hartley, Divisional Commander for police in Bolton, said: “The crime figures shown on the crime mapping website for Great Moor Street in Bolton also take into account incidents recorded in other nearby streets and locations, where there is a dense concentration of shops, licensed premises, businesses and people in a relatively small area.

“By working with the council, local residents and businesses in Bolton town centre, we have been successful at reducing crime and antisocial behaviour by a third since 2008, which means over a thousand fewer incidents occurring each year.

“Our Christmas operation which ran throughout December in the town centre saw vehicle crime virtually eliminated with only one report for the month. Forty-seven people were arrested for a variety of offences including public order, pickpocketing and purse theft and there was also a large drop in the number of serious assaults with only five taking place, compared to 13 during the previous December.

“In total, there were 132 crimes in the whole of the town centre in December 2010, compared to 285 in December 2007.”

A council spokesman added: “These statistics are not an accurate reflection of crime on Great Moor Street or in Bolton. There were only two minor incidents of crime on the street in December, the figure being reported takes into account incidents recorded around the town centre.

“We will continue to listen to the community and carry on working with our partners to build on the continuing fall in recorded crime and make Bolton a safer place to live in.”