LONDON. Feb 6: Britain has one of the worst crime rates in Europe, according to a report published in Brussels on Tuesday.

Rates of 'hate crimes' against minorities were most pronounced in France, Denmark, the UK and the Benelux countries, with the lowest levels in Italy, Portugal, Greece and Austria.

The European Crime and Safety Survey was a joint venture between the United Nations, the European Commission and the Gallup polling organisation.

The report said Britain is the most burgled country in Europe, has the highest level of assaults and above average rates of car theft, robbery and pickpocketing. Only Ireland has a worse record.

It suggests that the British public is somewhat inured to high crime and not "over-concerned" about burglary and safety on the streets. Britons also tend to be happier with the police than people in many other countries.

The British are also much more in favour of prison as a punishment. More than twice as many people think a serial burglar should go to prison than in other countries.

Estonia, Holland and Denmark make up the rest of the EU's five ''high-crime" nations. All had rates more than 30 per cent higher than the average. Spain, Hungary, Portugal and Finland had the lowest rates.

Factors associated with high levels of crime included urbanisation, a large number of young people in the population and a binge-drinking culture.

Risks of being assaulted were highest in the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden and Denmark and lowest in Italy, Portugal, Hungary, Spain and France.

The report follows one of the most comprehensive law and order surveys in the EU. More than 40,000 people aged over 16 were questioned in 18 countries about their recent experiences of crime.

Experiences with sexual violence were reported most often by women in Ireland, Sweden, Germany and Austria and least often in Hungary, Spain, France and Portugal.

One area where Britain came out well was on ''ethical" crime. People were asked whether they had been required to pay bribes to public officials over the past 12 months. Positive answers were given most often in Greece, Poland, Hungary and Estonia and bribe-seeking was least common in Finland, the UK, Sweden, the Netherlands and Ireland.

Overall, nearly one third of EU citizens said they were afraid of burglary and did not feel safe on the streets.