Crime in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
Recorded crime in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole is 0.9 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has fallen 15%. Most of the harm comes from violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences). Police data to August 2026.
408,967 residents in 240 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 4/10Above average crime
- Safety in the world
- 7/10Low crime
- Living
- 7.6/10Good
- 5-year change
- −15%fewer crimes
Crime over 5 years
Down 15% in 5 years Recorded crimes in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 0.9× the England and Wales average. 73 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 62% of the harm here
- Burglary: 17% of the harm here
- Other theft: 5% of the harm here
"Violence and sexual offences" is 62% of the harm here. It is a broad police category: most of these crimes are assaults without injury, harassment and threats, often indoors between people who know each other, and only a small part are sexual or serious violent offences. Police data does not say which, so each one is weighted at the England and Wales average for the category, which can overstate a quiet residential area.
Anti-social behaviour: 31 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, not scored. Not a crime, so it is not part of the Safety score.
Crime by type
Recorded crimes per 1,000 residents per year, most serious first, not counting anti-social behaviour.
| Type | Per 1,000 a year |
|---|---|
| Robbery | 0.7 |
| Burglary | 4.9 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 28.3 |
| Drugs | 1.8 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 0.5 |
| Other crime | 0.7 |
| Other theft | 7.3 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 0.8 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 6.5 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 8.4 |
| Public order | 4.6 |
| Bicycle theft | 2.0 |
| Shoplifting | 6.4 |
What crimes are recorded in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
58.6 crimes per 1,000 residents were recorded in the Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole partnership area in 2025/26 (England and Wales: 83.2).
Crimes recorded by the police, April 2025 to March 2026. Source: Home Office, police recorded crime by community safety partnership. Figures for the Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole community safety partnerships, which together cover Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset.
| Type | Crimes in 2025/26 | Per 1,000 residents | Change on 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cars stolen | 896 | 1.1 | Down 18% |
| Cars broken into | 2,023 | 2.5 | Down 22% |
| Vehicle tampering | 296 | 0.37 | Down 24% |
| Vandalism to homes | 986 | 1.2 | Down 4% |
| Vandalism to other buildings | 509 | 0.64 | Down 16% |
| Vandalism to vehicles | 1,454 | 1.8 | Down 24% |
| Arson | 141 | 0.18 | Down 9% |
| Burglary of homes | 911 | 1.1 | Up 3% |
| Burglary of businesses | 859 | 1.1 | Down 13% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 3 | - | - |
| Carrying a knife or blade | 205 | 0.26 | Down 16% |
| Carrying other weapons (including guns) | 206 | 0.26 | About the same |
| Robbery of people | 225 | 0.28 | Down 23% |
| Robbery of businesses | 197 | 0.25 | Up 338% |
| Violence with injury | 5,337 | 6.7 | Down 10% |
| Violence without injury | 7,539 | 9.4 | Down 2% |
| Stalking and harassment | 5,442 | 6.8 | Down 6% |
| Sexual offences | 2,216 | 2.8 | About the same |
| Shoplifting | 5,049 | 6.3 | About the same |
| Bicycle theft | 673 | 0.84 | Up 7% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 298 | 0.37 | Down 16% |
| Drug dealing | 261 | 0.33 | Up 64% |
| Drug possession | 1,171 | 1.5 | Up 6% |
Under 10 a year: no rate or change, the numbers are too small to compare. These are council-area figures: police.uk street-level data, used for the map and the Safety score, only has the broad categories, and no source publishes murders or stabbings by street.
Dorset Police area: 249 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument in 2025/26 (229 the year before). This covers the whole police force area, not only Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.
Source: Home Office, police recorded knife crime by police force.
How often crimes lead to a charge
In Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, 9% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%).
- Charged or summonsed
- Caution or other action
- Suspect found, not prosecuted
- No suspect identified
- Still open
Show as a table
| Type | Crimes | Charged or summonsed | Caution or other action | Suspect found, not prosecuted | No suspect identified | Still open |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 11,480 | 8% | 9% | 65% | 13% | 6% |
| Shoplifting | 3,211 | 23% | 2% | 20% | 55% | 1% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 2,728 | 6% | 4% | 26% | 62% | 2% |
| Other theft | 2,442 | 2% | 1% | 24% | 70% | 4% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 2,304 | 2% | 0% | 8% | 88% | 2% |
| Public order | 1,904 | 9% | 4% | 50% | 33% | 4% |
| Burglary | 1,406 | 8% | 1% | 14% | 75% | 3% |
| Drugs | 660 | 27% | 43% | 18% | 6% | 6% |
| Bicycle theft | 507 | 3% | 1% | 10% | 83% | 3% |
| Other crime | 337 | 10% | 8% | 58% | 15% | 9% |
| Robbery | 269 | 11% | 0% | 42% | 39% | 7% |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 228 | 34% | 13% | 33% | 10% | 10% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 222 | 2% | 0% | 27% | 65% | 5% |
Uses the latest outcome police have recorded so far. 4% of these crimes are still open, so the final figures may be a little higher.
Towns and cities in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
Postcode districts in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
Questions about crime in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
- Is Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole a safe place to live?
- Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole scores 4 out of 10 for safety (above average crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Is crime going up or down in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole?
- Down 15% over 5 years, from 30,930 recorded crimes a year to 26,407.
- What is the most common crime in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 28 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole?
- In Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, 9% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 40% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many burglaries are solved in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole?
- Of 1,406 burglaries reported in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole between September 2024 and August 2025, 8% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 75% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole?
- In the Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole community safety partnerships (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset), the police recorded 896 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 1.1 per 1,000 residents, down 18% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole?
- 2,949 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in the Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole community safety partnerships (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset) in 2025/26, 3.7 per 1,000 residents, 0.8 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole last year?
- 3 homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in the Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole community safety partnerships (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset) in 2025/26, against 4 the year before.