Portland Crime Overview

Portland is the second most dangerous small town in Dorset, and is among the top 20 most dangerous overall out of Dorset's 274 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Portland in 2020 was 63 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares poorly to Dorset's overall crime rate, coming in 3.8% higher than the Dorset rate of 60 per 1,000 residents. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Portland is the 280th most dangerous small town, and the 1,877th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.

In January 2019, Portland had the worst crime rate in Dorset for other crime, with 9 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.68 per 1,000 inhabitants.

The most common crimes in Portland are violence and sexual offences, with 455 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 34. This is 8% higher than 2019's figure of 420 offences and a difference of 2.63 from 2019's crime rate of 32. Portland's least common crime is robbery, with 2 offences recorded in 2020, an increase of 50% from 2019's figure of 1 crime.

Compare Portland to other towns and cities

See how Portland shapes up compared to other locations around the country, including side-by-side comparisons of specific crime types, and separate charting of how Portland and your comparison town's crime rates stack up against one another.

Portland Crime Map

Click to use map

Crime in Portland Compared To Dorset

Are you researching crime in Portland, or have a general question? Please contact our team. We offer free consultation on basic requests. This content is licensed CC BY-ND 4.0. When referencing or citing CrimeRate data or content on third-party sites, we require attribution to the source page on crimerate.co.uk
Creative Commons logo

Summary of Crimes in Portland This Year

 PortlandDorset 
CrimeCountRateCountRateRate Difference
Anti-Social Behaviour43132.3825,48132.941.7% safer
Bicycle Theft40.301,1631.50400% safer
Burglary261.952,9163.7793% safer
Criminal Damage and Arson1037.746,2258.054.0% safer
Drugs272.031,1991.5524% more dangerous
Other Crime564.215350.6984% more dangerous
Other Theft413.084,1485.3674% safer
Possession of Weapons50.383080.405% safer
Public Order705.263,1584.0822% more dangerous
Robbery20.153600.47213% safer
Shoplifting211.582,6263.39115% safer
Theft From the Person60.453300.434.4% more dangerous
Vehicle Crime191.433,6634.73231% safer
Violence and Sexual Offences45534.1820,04125.9024% more dangerous

Portland Compared to Nearby Small Towns

Small TownTotal CrimesCrime RateRate Difference
Sherborne42743.1645% safer
Gillingham52443.6144% safer
Shaftesbury41846.7834% safer
Blandford Forum52948.1330% safer
Dorchester1,31961.532.0% safer
Portland83562.73-
Bridport59070.7911% more dangerous

Crime Over Time in Portland

View crime percentage over time for

Recent Crimes in Portland

DateCrime TypeLocationOutcome
November 2021Criminal damage and arsonOn or near Reforne CloseInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021Criminal damage and arsonOn or near Reforne CloseInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021Criminal damage and arsonOn or near Easton SquareInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021ShopliftingOn or near SupermarketInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021Criminal damage and arsonOn or near Parking AreaInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Conference/Exhibition CentreUnable to prosecute suspect
November 2021Criminal damage and arsonOn or near Easton SquareInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021Criminal damage and arsonOn or near Easton SquareInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021Criminal damage and arsonOn or near Easton SquareInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021Public orderOn or near Conference/Exhibition CentreInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021Criminal damage and arsonOn or near Crown Farm TerraceInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021Other theftOn or near Hamm Beach RoadInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021Public orderOn or near Coronation RoadUnable to prosecute suspect
November 2021Criminal damage and arsonOn or near East Weare RoadInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near East Weare RoadAction to be taken by another organisation
November 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Bumpers LaneUnable to prosecute suspect
November 2021Other theftOn or near Parking AreaInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021BurglaryOn or near Amelia CloseInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021Criminal damage and arsonOn or near Parking AreaInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Weston StreetFormal action is not in the public interest

Portland Crime Trends

 Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents 
Crime2017201820192020Trend
Anti-Social Behaviour36292132Getting worse
Bicycle Theft0.600.300.230.30Safer
Burglary2.63.22.02.0Safer
Criminal Damage and Arson91098Safer
Drugs2.01.41.22.0Getting worse
Other Crime653.94.2Safer
Other Theft5653.1Safer
Possession of Weapons0.450.300.150.38Getting worse
Public Order2.63.64.45Getting worse
Robbery (inc. mugging)0.150.150.080.15Getting worse
Shoplifting1.42.11.81.6Safer
Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing)0.150.080.300.45Getting worse
Vehicle Crime3.82.82.61.4Safer
Violence and Sexual Offences31323234Getting worse

Changes In Portland's Crime Rates Over Time

Offences in Portland's Green Spaces

We only display green spaces in Portland that are named, and have had crimes recorded within their boundaries during 2020.

NameASBDrugsPublic OrderRobberyVSOAll OthersCrimes per Hectare
All Saints' Church----208

Comparing Portland to the UK's Major Cities

Small TownCrime RateRate Difference
Portland62.73-
Barnet67.717% more dangerous
Coventry77.4119% more dangerous
Croydon83.2225% more dangerous
Sheffield85.8127% more dangerous
Bristol86.2127% more dangerous
Leicester97.4436% more dangerous
Birmingham102.8739% more dangerous
Liverpool107.2842% more dangerous
Bradford133.0253% more dangerous
Leeds137.1054% more dangerous

Crime in Portland's Neighbourhoods

NeighbourhoodCrime CountCrime RateDanger Rank
Southwell & Weston31043Second
Underhill & The Grove52587First

Crime in Portland During Coronavirus Lockdowns

Looking at the months the UK was in lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19, how did crime rates in Portland change compared to the same month in 2019? The biggest increase in lockdown crime came in December, when Portland saw a 375% increase in anti-social behaviour. Portland saw a large fall in vehicle crime during May, when it fell by 83% compared to May in 2019.

CrimeMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Anti-Social Behaviour-11%+108%+114%+44%+142%+46%+42%-24%-12%+375%
Bicycle Theft----------
Burglary-+25%------+100%+50%
Criminal Damage and Arson+20%-67%-38%+40%-19%---81%+17%+20%
Drugs+300%---+100%-+150%---33%
Other Crime-+120%+233%--+133%-33%-50%-67%-
Other Theft-33%-50%-80%-33%-33%-75%-63%+150%-+100%
Public Order+133%-33%+67%+233%+80%-63%+14%+14%-80%+100%
Shoplifting-------67%---67%
Theft From the Person----------
Vehicle Crime---83%-33%-50%-67%--67%-50%+150%
Violence and Sexual Offences-15%-22%-3%-12%+39%+18%+28%+8%+6%+46%

Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in Portland

What police force serves Portland?
Portland's local territorial police force is the Dorset Police.
How dangerous is Portland?
Portland is the second most dangerous small town in Dorset.
What is Portland's most common crime?
The most common crimes in Portland are violence and sexual offences.
What is the least common crime in Portland?
Portland's least common crime is robbery (inc. mugging).

Last updated: 31 Dec 2021