Crime in Wareham
Recorded crime in Wareham is about the Dorset average and 0.6 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has risen 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 Wareham: about 5,801 residents in 6 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 7/10Low crime
- Living
- 6.3/10Fair
- 5-year change
- +19%more crimes
- vs the council
- 1.0×the Dorset average
Neighbourhoods by Safety
Within 1.5 km of the centre of Wareham.
Crime over 5 years
Up 19% in 5 years Recorded crimes within 1.5 km of Wareham, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: about the Dorset average (0.6× the England and Wales average). 49 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 66% of the harm here
- Burglary: 17% of the harm here
- Other theft: 6% of the harm here
"Violence and sexual offences" is 66% 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: 23 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, not scored. Not a crime, so it is not part of the Safety score.
Crimes recorded in Dorset (the whole partnership area)
April 2025 to March 2026, for the whole Dorset partnership area, not only Wareham. Figures for the Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole community safety partnerships, which together cover Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset. 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 | 896 | 1.1 | Down 18% |
| Cars broken into | 2,023 | 2.5 | Down 22% |
| Vandalism (homes, other buildings and vehicles) | 2,949 | 3.7 | Down 17% |
| Burglary of homes | 911 | 1.1 | Up 3% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 3 | - | - |
Under 10 a year: no rate or change, the numbers are too small to compare.
How often crimes lead to a charge in BH20
In BH20, the postcode district at the centre of Wareham, 4% 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) | 356 | 6% | 13% | 67% | 8% | 6% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 103 | 0% | 0% | 31% | 68% | 1% |
| Other theft | 94 | 0% | 1% | 31% | 66% | 2% |
| Public order | 80 | 3% | 0% | 66% | 19% | 13% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 63 | 0% | 5% | 37% | 57% | 2% |
Uses the latest outcome police have recorded so far. 5% of these crimes are still open, so the final figures may be a little higher.
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 | 0.2 |
| Burglary | 3.2 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 19.6 |
| Drugs | 0.7 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 0.4 |
| Other crime | 0.6 |
| Other theft | 4.9 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 0.2 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 2.8 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 6.8 |
| Public order | 3.7 |
| Bicycle theft | 1.0 |
| Shoplifting | 4.9 |
Postcode districts in Wareham
Nearby towns
Council: Dorset
Questions about crime in Wareham
- Is Wareham a safe place to live?
- Wareham scores 7 out of 10 for safety (low crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Crime severity is about the Dorset average.
- Is crime going up or down in Wareham?
- Up 19% over 5 years, from 217 recorded crimes a year to 258.
- What is the most common crime in Wareham?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 20 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How does crime in Wareham compare with Dorset?
- Crime severity in Wareham is about the Dorset average.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Wareham?
- In BH20, the postcode district at the centre of Wareham, 4% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 35% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Wareham?
- In 2025/26, in the Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole partnership area, which includes Wareham, the police recorded 896 cars stolen (April 2025 to March 2026), 1.1 per 1,000 residents, down 18% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Wareham?
- 2,949 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in 2025/26, in the Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole partnership area, which includes Wareham, 3.7 per 1,000 residents, 0.8 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Wareham last year?
- 3 homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in 2025/26, in the Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole partnership area, which includes Wareham, against 4 the year before. Police data does not say where in the area they happened.