Is Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole safe?

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole has a crime rate of 79.13 per 1,000 residents — around the national average for England and Wales, ranked #162 of 331 local authorities nationally. Crime levels vary significantly across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole'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 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole?

As of April 2026, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole has an annual crime rate of 79.13 per 1,000 residents, based on 2,921 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 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole rank nationally for crime?

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole ranks #162 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 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole?

The most common crime type in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole is Violence & Sexual Offences, accounting for 869 incidents in April 2026 — 29.8% 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 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole local authority area.

April 2026 Source: Dorset Police Police

Crime in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole: Crime Rate & Statistics 2026

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole recorded 2,921 crimes in April 2026 — a crime rate of 7.3 per 1,000 residents. This places Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole at #162 of 331 local authorities in England and Wales. Violence & Sexual Offences accounts for the largest share of crime at 29.8% of all offences recorded. Crime is down 1.4% compared to the same period last year.

info Crime is above average compared to other UK areas.

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Key Statistics

monitoring79.13 crimes per 1,000 residents annually
assignment2,921 crimes recorded in April 2026
leaderboardRanked #162 of 331 UK local authorities by crime rate
trending_downCrime down 1.4% year-on-year

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

Total Crimes

2,921

trending_up +1.6% vs last month

Annual Crime Rate

79.13per 1k

Moderate

National Safety

#162of 331

Ranked by annual rate

National Population

400,195

Estimated population

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	Anti-social behaviour: 66	66
On or near Supermarket Map	Anti-social behaviour: 45	45
On or near Supermarket Map	Shoplifting: 43	43
On or near Shopping Area Map	Shoplifting: 40	40
On or near Shopping Area Map	Anti-social behaviour: 29 Other theft: 6	29
On or near Parking Area Map	Violence and sexual offences: 30	30
On or near Hamblin Way Map	Shoplifting: 28 Robbery: 2	28
On or near Wimborne Road Map	Shoplifting: 24	24
On or near Cashmoor Close Map	Shoplifting: 24	24
On or near Supermarket Map	Violence and sexual offences: 20	20

Crime Breakdown

April 2026

2,921 Total

Violence & Sexual Offences

869

29.8%

Anti-social Behaviour

794

27.2%

Shoplifting

294

10.1%

Criminal Damage & Arson

226

7.7%

Vehicle Crime

179

6.1%

Other Theft

155

5.3%

Public Order

129

4.4%

Burglary

3.4%

Drug Offences

2.2%

Bicycle Theft

1.4%

Robbery

1.1%

Other Crime

0.6%

Weapons Possession

0.5%

Theft from Person

0.3%

Crime Analysis: Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole recorded 2,921 crimes in April 2026, equivalent to a rate of 79.13 per 1,000 residents — above the national average for England and Wales, ranked #162 of 331.

Violence & Sexual Offences makes up the largest share of crime in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole at 29.8%. Anti-social Behaviour (27.2%) and Shoplifting (10.1%) are the next most common categories.

Compared to the same period last year, crime in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole has fallen slightly — by 1.4%. The 12-month trend chart above shows where this change is concentrated across individual offence categories.

All figures are published monthly by Dorset Police 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.

Stop & Search

April 2026

184

Total Stops

15.2%

Arrest Rate

Neighbourhoods

Reason for Stop

Controlled drugs

108

Offensive weapons

Stolen goods

Article for use in theft

Evidence of offences under the Act

Firearms

Outcome

Not recorded96

A no further action disposal40

Arrest28

Community resolution13

Summons / charged by post7

Gender

Male155

Female29

Officer-Defined Ethnicity

Self-defined where available

91.3%

White

4.7%

Black

2.7%

Asian

1.3%

Other

Stop & search data published by Dorset Police under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: police.uk.

Expert Safety Insights

Ward Safety Rankings

33 wards

Highest Crime

#	Ward	Crimes	Rate
1	Bournemouth Central	424	176.3
2	Westbourne & West Cliff	116	124.4
3	Winton East	150	115.9
4	Boscombe West	144	110.8
5	Kinson	167	86.8

Safest Wards

	Ward	Crimes	Rate
shield	Highcliffe & Walkford	15	1.5
shield	Broadstone	24	1.8
shield	Oakdale	31	2.6
shield	Mudeford, Stanpit & West Highcliffe	20	1.9
shield	Canford Heath	79	3.7

Growth Analysis

Month-on-Monthtrending_up +1.6%

Year-on-Yeartrending_down -1.4%

12m Rolling Trendtrending_down -1.1%

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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