Yes, that's the intent of the statistic, Turi. I looked it up because Tony's quiery came just as the new NYC police commissioner bragged that NYC had the lowest crime rate of any large city in America. More crime in total, less per 100k population.
I, too, would like to see an international crime rate comparison. My impression is that British cities are fairly safe, but Rio, Moscow and Johannesburg are off the charts.