Dorset has a crime rate of 49.4 per 1,000 residents — above the national average for England and Wales, placing it among the higher-crime areas in the UK at #27 of 331 local authorities. Crime levels vary significantly across Dorset'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 Dorset?

As of April 2026, Dorset has an annual crime rate of 49.4 per 1,000 residents, based on 1,774 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 Dorset rank nationally for crime?

Dorset ranks #27 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 Dorset?

The most common crime type in Dorset is Violence & Sexual Offences, accounting for 651 incidents in April 2026 — 36.7% 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 Dorset local authority area.

April 2026 Source: Dorset Police Police

Crime in Dorset: Crime Rate & Statistics 2026

Dorset is one of the higher-crime areas in England and Wales, recording 1,774 crimes in April 2026 — a crime rate of 4.67 per 1,000 residents. This places Dorset at #27 of 331 local authorities in England and Wales. Violence & Sexual Offences accounts for the largest share of crime at 36.7% of all offences recorded. Crime is down 7.0% 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

monitoring49.4 crimes per 1,000 residents annually
assignment1,774 crimes recorded in April 2026
leaderboardRanked #27 of 331 UK local authorities by crime rate
trending_downCrime down 7.0% year-on-year

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

Total Crimes

1,774

trending_up +5.8% vs last month

Annual Crime Rate

49.4per 1k

Moderate

National Safety

#27of 331

Top 8% Safest UK

National Population

379,580

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: 44	44
On or near Supermarket Map	Shoplifting: 32	32
On or near Parking Area Map	Violence and sexual offences: 26	26
On or near Supermarket Map	Anti-social behaviour: 12 Criminal damage and arson: 3	12
On or near Petrol Station Map	Shoplifting: 13	13
On or near Parking Area Map	Shoplifting: 10	10
On or near Eden Grove Map	Anti-social behaviour: 7 Public order: 2	7
On or near Sports/Recreation Area Map	Violence and sexual offences: 9	9
On or near Petrol Station Map	Anti-social behaviour: 9	9
On or near Shopping Area Map	Anti-social behaviour: 8	8

Crime Breakdown

April 2026

1,774 Total

Violence & Sexual Offences

651

36.7%

Anti-social Behaviour

451

25.4%

Criminal Damage & Arson

137

7.7%

Shoplifting

123

6.9%

Other Theft

113

6.4%

Public Order

4.2%

Vehicle Crime

3.8%

Burglary

3.3%

Drug Offences

2.4%

Other Crime

1.5%

Robbery

0.6%

Weapons Possession

0.6%

Theft from Person

0.3%

Bicycle Theft

0.1%

Crime Analysis: Dorset

Dorset recorded 1,774 crimes in April 2026, equivalent to a rate of 49.4 per 1,000 residents — among the lower-crime areas in England and Wales, ranked #27 of 331 by crime rate.

Violence & Sexual Offences accounts for more than a third of all recorded crime in Dorset (36.7%). Anti-social Behaviour (25.4%) and Criminal Damage & Arson (7.7%) are the next most common categories.

Compared to the same period last year, crime in Dorset has fallen noticeably — by 7.0%. 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

52 wards

Highest Crime

#	Ward	Crimes	Rate
1	Melcombe Regis	169	239.9
2	Westham	72	84.2
3	Wimborne Minster	73	77.3
4	Shaftesbury Town	51	64.0
5	Sherborne West	29	62.9

Safest Wards

	Ward	Crimes	Rate
shield	Chalk Valleys	7	0.9
shield	Colehill & Wimborne Minster East	10	0.8
shield	Marshwood Vale	6	1.3
shield	Winterborne & Broadmayne	9	1.9
shield	Charminster St Mary's	13	1.8

Growth Analysis

Month-on-Monthtrending_up +5.8%

Year-on-Yeartrending_down -7.0%

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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