Ringwood Crime Overview
Ringwood is the third most dangerous small town in Hampshire, and is the 49th most dangerous overall out of Hampshire's 274 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Ringwood in 2020 was 63 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares favourably to Hampshire's overall crime rate, coming in 10% lower than the Hampshire rate of 70 per 1,000 residents. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Ringwood is the 270th most dangerous small town, and the 1,840th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In November 2020, Ringwood was the worst small town in Hampshire for burglary, with 21 crimes reported and a crime rate of 1.4 per 1,000 inhabitants. October 2020 was also a bad month for Ringwood residents, when it was Hampshire's most dangerous small town for criminal damage and arson, recording 15 crimes at a rate of 1.0 per 1,000 residents. Ringwood recorded 13 reports of vehicle crime during August 2020, making its crime rate of 0.89 the worst small town for vehicle crime in Hampshire that month.
The most common crimes in Ringwood are violence and sexual offences, with 312 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 21. This is 8% higher than 2019's figure of 287 offences and a difference of 1.72 from 2019's crime rate of 20. Ringwood's least common crime is robbery, with 2 offences recorded in 2020, a decrease of 100% from 2019's figure of 4 crimes.
Compare Ringwood to other towns and cities
See how Ringwood shapes up compared to other locations around the country, including side-by-side comparisons of specific crime types, and separate charting of how Ringwood and your comparison town's crime rates stack up against one another.
Ringwood Crime Map
Summary of Crimes in Ringwood This Year
| Ringwood | Hampshire | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | Count | Rate | Count | Rate | Rate Difference |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 212 | 14.51 | 33,040 | 17.86 | 23% safer |
| Bicycle Theft | 8 | 0.55 | 2,415 | 1.31 | 138% safer |
| Burglary | 142 | 9.72 | 8,209 | 4.44 | 54% more dangerous |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 158 | 10.81 | 13,551 | 7.33 | 32% more dangerous |
| Drugs | 21 | 1.44 | 4,844 | 2.62 | 82% safer |
| Other Crime | 11 | 0.75 | 2,366 | 1.28 | 71% safer |
| Other Theft | 66 | 4.52 | 8,190 | 4.43 | 2.0% more dangerous |
| Possession of Weapons | 6 | 0.41 | 1,725 | 0.93 | 127% safer |
| Public Order | 68 | 4.65 | 15,526 | 8.39 | 80% safer |
| Robbery | 2 | 0.14 | 1,170 | 0.63 | 350% safer |
| Shoplifting | 32 | 2.19 | 7,920 | 4.28 | 95% safer |
| Theft From the Person | 4 | 0.27 | 791 | 0.43 | 59% safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 97 | 6.64 | 7,460 | 4.03 | 39% more dangerous |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 312 | 21.36 | 55,481 | 29.99 | 40% safer |
Crime in Ringwood Compared To Hampshire
Ringwood Compared to Nearby Small Towns
| Small Town | Total Crimes | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alton | 1,076 | 55.92 | 13% safer |
| Romsey | 828 | 56.63 | 12% safer |
| Whitehill | 758 | 58.60 | 8% safer |
| Petersfield | 906 | 58.64 | 8% safer |
| Fawley | 860 | 61.22 | 3.6% safer |
| Ringwood | 927 | 63.45 | - |
| Lymington and Pennington | 1,044 | 63.76 | 0.49% more dangerous |
| Hound | 534 | 70.57 | 10% more dangerous |
Ringwood Crime Trends
| Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Trend |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 18 | 9 | 13 | 15 | Getting worse |
| Bicycle Theft | 0.96 | 0.62 | 0.68 | 0.55 | Safer |
| Burglary | 9 | 9 | 8 | 10 | Getting worse |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 10 | 11 | 9 | 11 | Getting worse |
| Drugs | 0.62 | 0.55 | 0.68 | 1.4 | Getting worse |
| Other Crime | 0.82 | 0.96 | 0.75 | 0.75 | Safer |
| Other Theft | 7 | 7 | 6 | 4.5 | Safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 0.34 | 0.62 | 0.55 | 0.41 | Safer |
| Public Order | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4.6 | Safer |
| Robbery (inc. mugging) | 0.14 | 0.34 | 0.27 | 0.14 | Safer |
| Shoplifting | 4.5 | 4.7 | 4.0 | 2.2 | Safer |
| Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing) | 0.55 | 0.34 | 0.55 | 0.27 | Safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 6 | 5 | 7 | 7 | Getting worse |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 15 | 17 | 20 | 21 | Getting worse |
Changes In Ringwood's Crime Rates Over Time
Comparing Ringwood to the UK's Major Cities
| Small Town | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Ringwood | 63.45 | - |
| Barnet | 67.71 | 6% more dangerous |
| Coventry | 77.41 | 18% more dangerous |
| Croydon | 83.22 | 24% more dangerous |
| Sheffield | 85.81 | 26% more dangerous |
| Bristol | 86.21 | 26% more dangerous |
| Leicester | 97.44 | 35% more dangerous |
| Birmingham | 102.87 | 38% more dangerous |
| Liverpool | 107.28 | 41% more dangerous |
| Bradford | 133.02 | 52% more dangerous |
| Leeds | 137.10 | 54% more dangerous |
Crime in Ringwood's Neighbourhoods
| Neighbourhood | Crime Count | Crime Rate | Danger Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ringwood South | 667 | 82 | First |
Crime in Ringwood During Coronavirus Lockdowns
Looking at the months the UK was in lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19, how did crime rates in Ringwood change compared to the same month in 2019? The biggest increase in lockdown crime came in October, when Ringwood saw a 300% increase in drugs. Ringwood saw a large fall in public order during April, when it fell by 93% compared to April in 2019.
| Crime | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | +25% | -79% | +33% | +26% | +42% | +100% | +20% | -10% | +14% | -53% |
| Bicycle Theft | - | - | - | -50% | -50% | - | - | - | - | - |
| Burglary | +27% | -60% | +22% | -29% | +89% | -17% | +86% | +88% | +250% | -27% |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | +100% | +14% | -75% | +143% | +90% | -27% | +44% | +150% | -33% | -47% |
| Drugs | +50% | - | - | - | - | - | +200% | +300% | - | - |
| Other Crime | -33% | - | -50% | - | - | +50% | - | - | - | - |
| Other Theft | +67% | -50% | -38% | +17% | -29% | - | -14% | -33% | -67% | -70% |
| Possession of Weapons | - | - | -50% | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Public Order | -63% | -93% | -50% | -27% | +20% | +73% | +167% | +100% | - | -67% |
| Robbery | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Shoplifting | -78% | - | -50% | -33% | -29% | - | -71% | -80% | - | -86% |
| Theft From the Person | -50% | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Vehicle Crime | -75% | -50% | -38% | -40% | +250% | -28% | - | +267% | +29% | -76% |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | - | -24% | +63% | +35% | +61% | +7% | +23% | -10% | +19% | -67% |
Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in Ringwood
What police force serves Ringwood?
Ringwood's local territorial police force is the Hampshire Constabulary.How dangerous is Ringwood?
Ringwood is the third most dangerous small town in Hampshire.What is Ringwood's most common crime?
The most common crimes in Ringwood are violence and sexual offences.What is the least common crime in Ringwood?
Ringwood's least common crime is robbery (inc. mugging).Last updated: 01 Apr 2021