Is Forest of Dean safe?

Forest of Dean has a crime rate of 59.82 per 1,000 residents — around the national average for England and Wales, ranked #60 of 331 local authorities nationally. Crime levels vary significantly across Forest of Dean's wards; some neighbourhoods are considerably safer than the city average. See the ward breakdown and hotspot map on this page for a detailed local picture.

What is the crime rate in Forest of Dean?

As of January 2026, Forest of Dean has an annual crime rate of 59.82 per 1,000 residents, based on 377 recorded offences in the latest reporting period. This figure is sourced from Police.uk open data and normalised using ONS Census 2021 population estimates to allow accurate comparisons between areas.

How does Forest of Dean rank nationally for crime?

Forest of Dean ranks #60 out of 331 local authorities in England and Wales by annual crime rate per 1,000 residents. A rank of #1 indicates the highest crime rate nationally. Rankings are recalculated each month as new Police.uk data becomes available, covering all recorded crimes across the area.

What is the most common crime in Forest of Dean?

The most common crime type in Forest of Dean is Violence & Sexual Offences, accounting for 168 incidents in January 2026 — 44.6% of all recorded crime in the area. Data is sourced from Police.uk and covers all crimes recorded by the responsible police force across the Forest of Dean local authority area.

January 2026 Source: Gloucestershire Constabulary Police

Crime in Forest of Dean: Crime Rate & Statistics 2026

Forest of Dean recorded 377 crimes in January 2026 — a crime rate of 4.33 per 1,000 residents. This places Forest of Dean at #60 of 331 local authorities in England and Wales. Violence & Sexual Offences accounts for the largest share of crime at 44.6% of all offences recorded. Crime is down 19.8% compared to the same period last year.

shield Crime is significantly below the UK average — one of the safer areas.

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Key Statistics

monitoring59.82 crimes per 1,000 residents annually
assignment377 crimes recorded in January 2026
leaderboardRanked #60 of 331 UK local authorities by crime rate
trending_downCrime down 19.8% year-on-year

Data Sources:Police.ukONS Census 2021HM Land Registry Period: January 2026 • Updated monthly

info

Data Delayed

The local police force is behind on data submission. Showing the most recent available data from January 2026.

Total Crimes

377

trending_up +1.9% vs last month

Annual Crime Rate

59.82per 1k

Moderate

National Safety

#60of 331

Top 20% Safest UK

Gloucestershire

#2rank

Ranked by annual rate

12-Month Crime Trend

Monthly Totals

Interactive Crime Map

District View

Live Points

Crime Incident

Area Boundary

Incident Distribution

Top Locations

Location Reference	Crime Breakdown	Primary Count
On or near Parking Area Map	Violence and sexual offences: 6	6
On or near The Branch Map	Violence and sexual offences: 6	6
On or near Worcester Walk Map	Violence and sexual offences: 5	5
On or near Edge Hills Close Map	Shoplifting: 4 Public order: 1	4
On or near Crescent Close Map	Anti-social behaviour: 4 Public order: 1	4
On or near Bury Court Road Map	Violence and sexual offences: 5	5
On or near Little Green Map	Violence and sexual offences: 4	4
On or near Church Road Map	Violence and sexual offences: 4	4
On or near Clover Close Map	Anti-social behaviour: 2 Public order: 1 Criminal damage and arson: 1	2
On or near Petrol Station Map	Other theft: 4	4

Crime Breakdown

January 2026

377 Total

Violence & Sexual Offences

168

44.6%

Anti-social Behaviour

16.2%

Criminal Damage & Arson

8.0%

Burglary

6.6%

Other Theft

6.6%

Public Order

4.5%

Other Crime

4.2%

Vehicle Crime

2.9%

Shoplifting

2.1%

Drug Offences

2.1%

Weapons Possession

1.3%

Theft from Person

0.5%

Bicycle Theft

0.3%

Crime Analysis: Forest of Dean

Forest of Dean recorded 377 crimes in January 2026, equivalent to a rate of 59.82 per 1,000 residents — among the lower-crime areas in England and Wales, ranked #60 of 331 by crime rate.

Violence & Sexual Offences accounts for more than a third of all recorded crime in Forest of Dean (44.6%). Anti-social Behaviour (16.2%) and Criminal Damage & Arson (8.0%) are the next most common categories.

Compared to the same period last year, crime in Forest of Dean has fallen sharply — by 19.8%. The 12-month trend chart above shows where this change is concentrated across individual offence categories.

All figures are published monthly by Gloucestershire Constabulary through the Police.uk open data platform and cross-referenced with ONS 2021 Census population estimates to produce the per-resident rates above. Data typically appears 1–2 months after the end of the recording period.

Expert Safety Insights

Ward Safety Rankings

21 wards

Highest Crime

#	Ward	Crimes	Rate
1	Cinderford West	22	106.7
2	Lydney East	52	101.6
3	Coleford	51	84.5
4	Cinderford East	35	82.3
5	Newent & Taynton	35	71.8

Safest Wards

	Ward	Crimes	Rate
shield	Lydney North	7	2.1
shield	St. Briavels	4	1.2
shield	Lydbrook	2	0.9
shield	Westbury-on-Severn	6	2.8
shield	Newland & Sling	3	1.2

Growth Analysis

Month-on-Monthtrending_up +1.9%

Year-on-Yeartrending_down -19.8%

12m Rolling Trendtrending_down -2.0%

Data Transparency

Crime rates are calculated per 1,000 residents using ONS Census 2021 population data. Rankings cover all 331 local authorities in England & Wales.

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