Poole Crime Overview
Poole is the most dangerous major town in Dorset, and is the 25th most dangerous overall out of Dorset's 274 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Poole in 2020 was 61 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares poorly to Dorset's overall crime rate, coming in 1.5% higher than the Dorset rate of 60 per 1,000 residents. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Poole is the 22nd safest major town, and the 1,992nd most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In December 2020, Poole had the worst crime rate in Dorset for burglary, with 73 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.46 per 1,000 inhabitants. November 2020 was also a bad month for Poole residents, when it was Dorset's most dangerous area for robbery, recording 11 crimes at a rate of 0.07 per 1,000 residents. Poole recorded 109 reports of shoplifting during January 2020, making its crime rate of 0.68 the worst for shoplifting in Dorset that month.
The most common crimes in Poole are violence and sexual offences, with 4,137 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 26. This is 3.8% higher than 2019's figure of 3,981 offences and a difference of 0.98 from 2019's crime rate of 25. Poole's least common crime is theft from the person, with 59 offences recorded in 2020, a decrease of 31% from 2019's figure of 77 crimes.
Compare Poole to other towns and cities
See how Poole shapes up compared to other locations around the country, including side-by-side comparisons of specific crime types, and separate charting of how Poole and your comparison town's crime rates stack up against one another.
Poole Crime Map
Crime in Poole Compared To Dorset
Summary of Crimes in Poole This Year
| Poole | Dorset | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | Count | Rate | Count | Rate | Rate Difference |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 4,854 | 30.44 | 25,481 | 32.94 | 8% safer |
| Bicycle Theft | 298 | 1.87 | 1,163 | 1.50 | 20% more dangerous |
| Burglary | 674 | 4.23 | 2,916 | 3.77 | 11% more dangerous |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 1,225 | 7.68 | 6,225 | 8.05 | 4.8% safer |
| Drugs | 180 | 1.13 | 1,199 | 1.55 | 37% safer |
| Other Crime | 85 | 0.53 | 535 | 0.69 | 30% safer |
| Other Theft | 853 | 5.35 | 4,148 | 5.36 | 0.19% safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 64 | 0.40 | 308 | 0.40 | 0% safer |
| Public Order | 618 | 3.88 | 3,158 | 4.08 | 5% safer |
| Robbery | 66 | 0.41 | 360 | 0.47 | 15% safer |
| Shoplifting | 684 | 4.29 | 2,626 | 3.39 | 21% more dangerous |
| Theft From the Person | 59 | 0.37 | 330 | 0.43 | 16% safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 819 | 5.14 | 3,663 | 4.73 | 8% more dangerous |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 4,137 | 25.95 | 20,041 | 25.90 | 0.19% more dangerous |
Crime Over Time in Poole
View crime percentage over time forPoole Crime Trends
| Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Trend |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 33 | 32 | 26 | 30 | Getting worse |
| Bicycle Theft | 1.5 | 2.0 | 1.8 | 1.9 | Getting worse |
| Burglary | 6 | 4.9 | 5 | 4.2 | Safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 7 | 9 | 9 | 8 | Safer |
| Drugs | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.1 | Safer |
| Other Crime | 0.49 | 0.65 | 0.68 | 0.53 | Safer |
| Other Theft | 7 | 7 | 6 | 5 | Safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 0.29 | 0.30 | 0.37 | 0.40 | Getting worse |
| Public Order | 1.9 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.9 | Getting worse |
| Robbery (inc. mugging) | 0.18 | 0.32 | 0.34 | 0.41 | Getting worse |
| Shoplifting | 8 | 6 | 6 | 4.3 | Safer |
| Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing) | 0.57 | 0.39 | 0.48 | 0.37 | Safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 5 | 3.8 | 5 | 5 | Getting worse |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 16 | 22 | 25 | 26 | Getting worse |
Changes In Poole's Crime Rates Over Time
Offences in Poole's Green Spaces
We only display green spaces in Poole that are named, and have had crimes recorded within their boundaries during 2020.
| Name | ASB | Drugs | Public Order | Robbery | VSO | All Others | Crimes per Hectare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakdale Community Park | 5 | - | 1 | - | - | 3 | 12 |
Comparing Poole to the UK's Major Cities
| Major Town | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Poole | 61.22 | - |
| Barnet | 67.71 | 10% more dangerous |
| Coventry | 77.41 | 21% more dangerous |
| Croydon | 83.22 | 26% more dangerous |
| Sheffield | 85.81 | 29% more dangerous |
| Bristol | 86.21 | 29% more dangerous |
| Leicester | 97.44 | 37% more dangerous |
| Birmingham | 102.87 | 40% more dangerous |
| Liverpool | 107.28 | 43% more dangerous |
| Bradford | 133.02 | 54% more dangerous |
| Leeds | 137.10 | 55% more dangerous |
Crime in Poole's Neighbourhoods
Newtown is the most dangerous neighbourhood in Poole, followed by Branksome West in second place, and Hamworthy West as the third most dangerous area. Poole's safest neighbourhoods are, in order, Broadstone, Corfe Mullen, and Oakdale West.
| Neighbourhood | Crime Count | Crime Rate | Danger Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Branksome East | 449 | 72 | Fourth |
| Branksome Park, Canford Cliffs & Sandbanks | 580 | 65 | Seventh |
| Branksome West | 588 | 78 | Second |
| Broadstone | 297 | 29 | 15th |
| Canford Heath East | 308 | 42 | 12th |
| Canford Heath West | 366 | 54 | Ninth |
| Corfe Mullen | 309 | 30 | 14th |
| Creekmoor | 497 | 54 | Tenth |
| Hamworthy West | 539 | 75 | Third |
| Newtown | 925 | 85 | First |
| Oakdale East | 648 | 71 | Fifth |
| Oakdale West | 346 | 42 | 13th |
| Parkstone | 457 | 48 | 11th |
| Penn Hill | 580 | 58 | Eighth |
| Rossmore | 731 | 71 | Sixth |
Poole Neighbourhood Crime Breakdown
Showing the safest and most dangerous parts of Poole for specific criminal activity, with crime count and rate shown in brackets.
| Crime Type | Safest Neighbourhood | Most Dangerous Neighbourhood |
|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | Broadstone (131) | Hamworthy West (281) |
| Bicycle Theft | Canford Heath East (4) | Branksome Park, Canford Cliffs & Sandbanks (35) |
| Burglary | Canford Heath West (14) | Branksome Park, Canford Cliffs & Sandbanks (78) |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | Broadstone (42) | Hamworthy West (86) |
| Drugs | Canford Heath East (1) | Penn Hill (16) |
| Other Crime | Broadstone (2) | Hamworthy West (10) |
| Other Theft | Canford Heath East (18) | Branksome East (75) |
| Possession of Weapons | Broadstone (1) | Hamworthy West (8) |
| Public Order | Parkstone (11) | Newtown (69) |
| Robbery (inc. mugging) | Canford Heath East (1) | Newtown (6) |
| Shoplifting | Hamworthy West (6) | Branksome West (106) |
| Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing) | Corfe Mullen (1) | Branksome East (5) |
| Vehicle Crime | Corfe Mullen (14) | Penn Hill (92) |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | Broadstone (110) | Newtown (433) |
Crime in Poole During Coronavirus Lockdowns
Looking at the months the UK was in lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19, how did crime rates in Poole change compared to the same month in 2019? The biggest increase in lockdown crime came in March, when Poole saw a 900% increase in other crime. Poole saw a large fall in theft from the person during May, when it fell by 91% compared to May in 2019. Shoplifting saw a fall in every month of Poole's lockdown.
| Crime | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | -3% | +23% | +30% | +71% | +19% | +4% | -9% | -2% | +57% | +45% |
| Bicycle Theft | +44% | -10% | -22% | +15% | -12% | +14% | +23% | +36% | -50% | +17% |
| Burglary | -47% | -51% | -29% | -2% | -16% | -23% | +6% | +8% | -8% | -8% |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | - | -50% | -37% | -3% | +11% | -17% | -10% | -15% | -26% | +2% |
| Drugs | +20% | +50% | - | - | -35% | +6% | -36% | -38% | +10% | -30% |
| Other Crime | +900% | +17% | -59% | -69% | -14% | -33% | -20% | -38% | -56% | +17% |
| Other Theft | -1% | -33% | -36% | -23% | -11% | -26% | -46% | -14% | +2% | +20% |
| Possession of Weapons | +100% | -29% | +25% | +50% | -57% | +67% | +175% | +150% | -20% | -38% |
| Public Order | -43% | +14% | +45% | +43% | +23% | +35% | -9% | -9% | +19% | +4% |
| Robbery | +25% | +400% | - | +100% | -50% | - | -20% | -20% | +267% | -67% |
| Shoplifting | -51% | -64% | -46% | -44% | -9% | -30% | +2% | -40% | -49% | -16% |
| Theft From the Person | +167% | -88% | -91% | +57% | +225% | -43% | -29% | -67% | -67% | -50% |
| Vehicle Crime | +28% | +4% | -56% | -7% | +67% | -5% | -28% | -24% | -20% | -31% |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | -10% | -4% | -14% | +25% | +1% | +19% | +11% | -10% | +20% | +6% |
Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in Poole
What police force serves Poole?
Poole's local territorial police force is the Dorset Police.How dangerous is Poole?
Poole is the most dangerous major town in Dorset.What is Poole's most common crime?
The most common crimes in Poole are violence and sexual offences.What is the least common crime in Poole?
Poole's least common crime is theft from the person (inc. pickpocketing).Last updated: 07 May 2021