Scotland's crime capital is ... Princes Street

The area between Princes Street and the New Town tops the league table for offences committed last year.

Almost 5,000 crimes were reported in the area, which includes Rose Street and George Street, two of the city's most popular nightlife locations.

Most were crimes of dishonesty, such as shoplifting. But the city centre also had the country's third-highest rates for murder and violence, plus high levels of public disorder and drug offences.

Motherwell South, in Jack McConnell's constituency, recorded the country's second highest level of anti-social behaviour, behind the centre of Aberdeen. The First Minister made tackling anti-social behaviour one of the cornerstones of his administration.

However, more murders, attempted murders, serious assaults and robberies were committed in the centre of Glasgow than anywhere else. The city's Anderston North district had the highest number of sexual crimes, including indecent assault and rape.

The most drug offences, vandalism, fireraising and crimes involving weapons were committed in the Craigmillar area of Edinburgh. Falkirk town centre had the highest number of motoring offences.

The figures, which were obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, are part of a breakdown of every recorded crime in Scotland last year.

Aberdeen Central recorded the second highest number of crimes, followed by Holyrood and an area covering the centre of Glasgow from Buchanan Street to Queen Street.

The fifth highest was around Elgin and Barnhill in Moray, which has high levels of antisocial behaviour and motoring offences.

Areas with the lowest levels of crime included Thorntonhall, in South Lanarkshire; Kinloch Rannoch in Perthshire; and Aberlour in Speyside.

Stewart Maxwell, deputy justice spokesman for the Scottish National party, welcomed the publication of the figures: "The public have a right to know what is happening in their area."

Margaret Mitchell, justice spokeswoman for the Scottish Conservatives, added: "The high level of anti-social behaviour in the First Minister's own constituency will prove an embarrassment to him. The figures are also a stark warning that he needs to put more police officers on the beat."

The statistics were provided by every police force in Scotland and were broken down into 1,100 police beats.

The figures cover seven separate crime groups, including violence, sexual crime, dishonesty, fire-raising and malicious damage, drugs and weapons, petty assaults and anti-social behaviour and motoring offences.

A spokesman for Lothian and Borders Police said: "At first glance, the statistics for the New Town might appear alarming, but they cover the busiest and most popular areas of the city.

"With such large volumes of people it is no surprise that crimes involving dishonesty should be so high."

A source close to the First Minister said the high level of anti-social behaviour offences being reported in his constituency was "a good thing".

He added: "Jack McConnell has been extremely successful in highlighting anti-social behaviour and in encouraging communities to complain about crimes of anti-social behaviour.

"It is now up to the police and the local authorities to recognise that there is a problem and use the new powers the Scottish Parliament has given them."