Dover Crime Overview

Dover is the most dangerous medium-sized town in Kent, and is among the top 10 most dangerous overall out of Kent's 335 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Dover in 2020 was 157 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares poorly to Kent's overall crime rate, coming in 46% higher than the Kent rate of 85 per 1,000 residents. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Dover is the most dangerous medium-sized town, and the 124th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.

In May 2015, Dover had the worst crime rate in Kent for drugs, with 36 crimes reported and a crime rate of 1.1 per 1,000 inhabitants. March 2015 was also a bad month for Dover residents, when it was Kent's most dangerous area for other crime, recording 12 crimes at a rate of 0.36 per 1,000 residents.

The most common crimes in Dover are violence and sexual offences, with 2,922 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 87. This is 5% higher than 2019's figure of 2,769 offences and a difference of 4.56 from 2019's crime rate of 83. Dover's least common crime is bicycle theft, with 16 offences recorded in 2020, a decrease of 25% from 2019's figure of 20 crimes.

Compare Dover to other towns and cities

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

Dover Crime Map

Click to use map

Crime in Dover Compared To Kent

Are you researching crime in Dover, 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 Dover This Year

 DoverKent 
CrimeCountRateCountRateRate Difference
Anti-Social Behaviour1,48744.3448,31625.9741% more dangerous
Bicycle Theft160.481,1650.6331% safer
Burglary1885.617,0893.8132% more dangerous
Criminal Damage and Arson53916.0718,62210.0138% more dangerous
Drugs1424.234,2172.2746% more dangerous
Other Crime2367.045,1152.7561% more dangerous
Other Theft2998.9210,9545.8934% more dangerous
Possession of Weapons391.161,3510.7337% more dangerous
Public Order48414.4313,1587.0751% more dangerous
Robbery391.161,3090.7040% more dangerous
Shoplifting1925.739,2254.9613% more dangerous
Theft From the Person190.578340.4521% more dangerous
Vehicle Crime1564.659,0874.884.9% safer
Violence and Sexual Offences2,92287.1376,37441.0553% more dangerous

Dover Compared to Nearby Medium-Sized Towns

Medium-Sized TownTotal CrimesCrime RateRate Difference
Dartford5,77698.0460% safer
Northfleet3,485115.9336% safer
Gravesend6,865117.0734% safer
Folkestone6,191126.5424% safer
Ramsgate5,826138.9413% safer
Dover5,271157.17-

Crime Over Time in Dover

View crime percentage over time for

Recent Crimes in Dover

DateCrime TypeLocationOutcome
August 2021Other theftOn or near Frith RoadInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Lowther RoadUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Lowther RoadUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Adrian StreetUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Marjan CloseUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Marjan CloseUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near King Lear'S WayUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021DrugsOn or near Weavers WayUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Public orderOn or near Weavers WayUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Weavers WayUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021DrugsOn or near St Bartholemews CloseUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Vehicle crimeOn or near St Bartholemews CloseInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Conference/Exhibition CentreUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near South RoadUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Criminal damage and arsonOn or near Douro PlaceInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
August 2021Other theftOn or near Churchill StreetUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Fishmonger'S LaneUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Criminal damage and arsonOn or near Crafford StreetInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Crafford StreetUnable to prosecute suspect
August 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near SupermarketUnable to prosecute suspect

Dover Crime Trends

 Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents 
Crime2017201820192020Trend
Anti-Social Behaviour47353244Getting worse
Bicycle Theft1.51.10.600.48Safer
Burglary8876Safer
Criminal Damage and Arson21191616Safer
Drugs1.62.63.24.2Getting worse
Other Crime4.4657Getting worse
Other Theft1211109Safer
Possession of Weapons0.891.21.61.2Safer
Public Order16261714Safer
Robbery (inc. mugging)2.52.22.31.2Safer
Shoplifting10876Safer
Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing)0.981.11.20.57Safer
Vehicle Crime7554.6Safer
Violence and Sexual Offences76858387Getting worse

Changes In Dover's Crime Rates Over Time

Offences in Dover's Green Spaces

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

NameASBDrugsPublic OrderRobberyVSOAll OthersCrimes per Hectare
Elms Vale Recreation Ground6----11.3
Samphire Hoe Country Park1-1--10.09

Comparing Dover to the UK's Major Cities

Medium-Sized TownCrime RateRate Difference
Barnet67.71132% safer
Coventry77.41103% safer
Croydon83.2289% safer
Sheffield85.8183% safer
Bristol86.2182% safer
Leicester97.4461% safer
Birmingham102.8753% safer
Liverpool107.2847% safer
Bradford133.0218% safer
Leeds137.1015% safer
Dover157.17-

Crime in Dover's Neighbourhoods

NeighbourhoodCrime CountCrime RateDanger Rank
Buckland & St Radigunds1,717121Second
Dover West1,857189First

Crime in Dover During Coronavirus Lockdowns

Looking at the months the UK was in lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19, how did crime rates in Dover change compared to the same month in 2019? The biggest increase in lockdown crime came in April, when Dover saw a 400% increase in possession of weapons. Dover saw a large fall in robbery during July, when it fell by 86% compared to July in 2019.

CrimeMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Anti-Social Behaviour-6%+192%+84%-+29%+50%+1%+24%+67%+75%
Bicycle Theft---80%-+33%+50%--+100%-
Burglary-48%+5%+7%-46%-48%-38%-17%+25%+36%-37%
Criminal Damage and Arson-2%-17%--20%+49%+73%-13%-21%+12%-18%
Drugs-8%+117%+100%-20%+100%-25%+36%+42%+9%-8%
Other Crime+80%-70%+35%+53%+133%+145%+8%+44%+69%+9%
Other Theft-43%--30%-29%+34%+18%-34%-19%+4%+11%
Possession of Weapons-57%+400%+133%+33%-67%-75%-20%-33%-60%-67%
Public Order-17%-23%-31%-50%+34%-31%+2%+26%-10%+17%
Robbery-82%+50%-83%--86%-60%-25%-71%-75%+80%
Shoplifting--50%-69%-6%+12%+46%-53%-15%-30%-41%
Theft From the Person+100%-50%--75%-71%----50%-
Vehicle Crime-50%-25%-50%-57%-44%+77%+29%+22%+17%+33%
Violence and Sexual Offences+17%-29%-20%+2%+36%+32%+9%+20%+2%+31%

Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in Dover

What police force serves Dover?
Dover's local territorial police force is the Kent Police.
How dangerous is Dover?
Dover is the most dangerous medium-sized town in Kent.
What is Dover's most common crime?
The most common crimes in Dover are violence and sexual offences.
What is the least common crime in Dover?
Dover's least common crime is bicycle theft.

Last updated: 05 Oct 2021