Crime in Ringwood
Recorded crime in Ringwood is 1.1 times the New Forest average and 0.8 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has fallen 19%. Most of the harm comes from violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences). Police data to August 2026.
Within 1.5 km of the centre of Ringwood: about 9,869 residents in 12 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 5/10Average crime
- Living
- 6.8/10Good
- 5-year change
- −19%fewer crimes
- vs the council
- 1.1×the New Forest average
Neighbourhoods by Safety
Within 1.5 km of the centre of Ringwood.
Crime over 5 years
Down 19% in 5 years Recorded crimes within 1.5 km of Ringwood, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 1.1× the New Forest average (0.8× the England and Wales average). 70 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 56% of the harm here
- Burglary: 24% of the harm here
- Other theft: 5% of the harm here
Anti-social behaviour: 12 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, not scored. Not a crime, so it is not part of the Safety score.
Crimes recorded in New Forest (the whole council area)
April 2025 to March 2026, for the whole New Forest council area, not only Ringwood. Source: Home Office, police recorded crime by community safety partnership.
| Type | Crimes in 2025/26 | Per 1,000 residents | Change on 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cars stolen | 140 | 0.79 | Down 31% |
| Cars broken into | 272 | 1.5 | Down 29% |
| Vandalism (homes, other buildings and vehicles) | 648 | 3.7 | Down 16% |
| Burglary of homes | 167 | 0.95 | Down 13% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 1 | - | - |
Under 10 a year: no rate or change, the numbers are too small to compare.
How often crimes lead to a charge in BH24
In BH24, the postcode district at the centre of Ringwood, 5% 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) | 598 | 3% | 6% | 62% | 18% | 11% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 144 | 1% | 1% | 9% | 86% | 3% |
| Shoplifting | 141 | 26% | 4% | 19% | 48% | 2% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 132 | 0% | 2% | 23% | 73% | 2% |
| Public order | 118 | 3% | 3% | 40% | 42% | 12% |
| Burglary | 104 | 5% | 1% | 11% | 80% | 4% |
| Other theft | 103 | 2% | 1% | 20% | 68% | 9% |
Uses the latest outcome police have recorded so far. 8% of these crimes are still open, so the final figures may be a little higher.
Road collisions
New Forest, 2023 to 2025: 326 road collisions a year with someone hurt, 89 of them with someone killed or seriously injured. 13 collisions were fatal in those 3 years.
1.9 a year per 1,000 residents (Great Britain 1.5). 27% of them killed or seriously injured someone (Great Britain 26%).
Collisions on public roads that the police recorded where someone was hurt, counted where they happened, so busy through roads and town centres with few residents come out high. Serious and slight use the Department for Transport's adjusted severity, comparable between police forces. Source: Department for Transport road casualty statistics (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
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 | 0.4 |
| Burglary | 6.7 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 24.3 |
| Drugs | 1.3 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 0.7 |
| Other crime | 1.0 |
| Other theft | 6.1 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 0.5 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 5.8 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 9.3 |
| Public order | 7.5 |
| Bicycle theft | 0.8 |
| Shoplifting | 5.6 |
Postcode districts in Ringwood
Nearby towns
Council: New Forest
Questions about crime in Ringwood
- Is Ringwood a safe place to live?
- Ringwood scores 5 out of 10 for safety (average crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Crime severity is 1.1 times the New Forest average.
- Is crime going up or down in Ringwood?
- Down 19% over 5 years, from 793 recorded crimes a year to 641.
- What is the most common crime in Ringwood?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 24 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How does crime in Ringwood compare with New Forest?
- Crime severity in Ringwood is 1.1 times the New Forest average.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Ringwood?
- In BH24, the postcode district at the centre of Ringwood, 5% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 44% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many burglaries are solved in Ringwood?
- Of 104 burglaries reported in BH24, the postcode district at the centre of Ringwood between September 2024 and August 2025, 5% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 80% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Ringwood?
- In New Forest, the council area Ringwood is in, the police recorded 140 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 0.8 per 1,000 residents, down 31% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Ringwood?
- 648 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in 2025/26, in New Forest, the council area Ringwood is in, 3.7 per 1,000 residents, 0.8 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Ringwood last year?
- 1 homicide (murder or manslaughter) was recorded in 2025/26, in New Forest, the council area Ringwood is in, against 0 the year before. Police data does not say where in the area they happened.