Almost all of the local councils in the elections on Thursday are facing soaring levels of serious crime, the Conservatives have said.

Shadow home secretary Oliver Letwin urged the public to give the government "a wake-up call", making it clear that there should be more bobbies on the beat.

The call came as the Conservatives published a new analysis of Home Office figures showing that 98 per cent of the councils with local elections are experiencing some sort of rising crime.

And the statistics also show that in the last year almost every single council in England has faced soaring robberies, burglaries, sexual offences, theft of or from motor vehicles or violence against the person, said the Conservatives.

"This reinforces the genuine public concern that in many parts of the country it is no longer safe to walk the streets, park your car or leave your home," said Letwin.

"Conservatives are calling for Thursday May 2 to be a referendum on crime. We want local residents to give Tony Blair a wake-up call. The message should go out loud and clear that we want more police out on the beat - not more gimmicks."

And shadow local government secretary Theresa May said voters could make a difference.

"Voters should not feel powerless. Councils can make a difference in the fight against rising crime. Conservative candidates across England are pledging to introduce more CCTV, new community wardens and better street lighting," she said.

The Conservatives analysed violence against the person, sexual offences, robbery, burglary, and theft of or from a motor vehicle, comparing levels in 1999/00 with 2000/01.