Perth as 'dangerous' as Raqqa and Mogadishu, Brit newspaper claims

The UK's Sun newspaper has claimed Perth is one of the most dangerous cities in the world - part of a list that includes civil war hotspots like Raqqa in Syria and Mogadishu in Somalia.

Several years ago, The New York Times ran a story about boom-time Perth being the cool new 'hipster' hotspot that no-one had heard about.

Now, it's in the headlines again - but for all the wrong reasons.

The Sun newspaper has claimed that Perth has become one of the most dangerous cities in the world because of its post-boom methamphetamine crisis.

The Western Australian capital's struggle with methamphetamine abuse has earned it a place alongside some of the most war-ravaged parts of the world, including Kiev in Ukraine and the Syrian city of Raqqa.

The report claims that WA suffers from "widespread crystal meth use", describing the ice scourge as the city's "dark secret" which has caused hospitals and jails to be filled with addicts who "commit crimes to fund their habit".

WA Police Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan and Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi have both laughed off the suggestion that Perth is on a par with, for example, San Pedro Sula in Honduras, where the murder rate is nearly 174 per 100,000 people, the highest in the world.

"The newspaper seems to have made an unsophisticated connection between methamphetamine usage and the relative safety of cities around the world," Mr O'Callaghan said.

"While meth use continues to be a significant issue for the community, Perth remains a safe place to live and visit."

Lord Mayor Scaffidi said the report is at odds with numerous surveys that rank Perth high in lists of the most liveable cities in the world.

"For more than 10 years, Perth has continued to score highly from credible organisations such as The Economist Intelligence Unit in global liveability rankings," she said.