NEW data puts Dorset as one of the safest places to live in the UK.
The data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) collects all reported crime, excluding fraud, between April 1, 2024 and March 31 of this year.
Unsurprisingly, the City of London tops the list with 9,129, while Greater London itself recorded the most crime with 942,674 incidents reported.
Dorset finds itself in the top 10.
This comes after 50,838 crimes were reported from April 2024 to March 2025 – cementing the county in eighth place.
In context, neighbouring the counties Wiltshire ranked fifth with 40,335 crimes reported and Somerset ranked in 37th place with 168,354.
But the data does not count crimes that are not reported, as residents are keen to point out.
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Overall crime in Dorset, however, fell by 1.8% between 1 April, 2024 and 31 March, 2025. Victim-based crime has decreased by 2.5% and violence against the person dropped by 4.3%.
Residential and business burglaries reduced during this reporting period by 4.7% and 4.6%.
Picture: Dorset Police
Deputy chief constable Rachel Farrell said that the newly formed neighbourhood crime team is doing a “fantastic job” at targeting prolific residential burglars by working across different departments.
“Robberies have fallen by 18.7% compared to the national decrease of 2.7% and this is testament to the work our teams have been carrying out to identify some of the patterns used in robbery offences, target prolific offenders and continue proactive patrols in hotspot areas,” she said.
But she said that the county has seen a 5.8% in vehicle offences.
“I would like to remind the public to follow our preventative advice about safeguarding your vehicle from crime and report anything suspicious to us,” Ms Farrell said.
“We will be focusing our efforts in high-risk areas to disrupt those who intend on committing these offences.”
Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner David Sidwick said he is pleased to see total crime fall once more in Dorset.
“Reductions in some of the offences residents are most worried about, including burglary and violent crime, are welcome and demonstrate the unwavering focus and commitment towards tackling these harmful crimes and keeping people safe,” he said.
“I am also pleased to see a significant fall in robbery offences, as well as a reduction in stalking and harassment.
“I know the terrible impact these offences have on victims, and while it is vital for Dorset Police to tackle the perpetrators robustly, I also want to send a clear message to victims that you will be taken seriously and help and support is available.
“I also want to recognise that while there has been an increase in shoplifting for this period, Dorset’s rise is far below the national figure, and I will keep pushing for the Force to continue their successful work in this area – and reduce these numbers even further.
“Thanks to proactive initiatives in Dorset like Op Shopkeeper, which targets prolific offenders, we are focused on working with businesses and related organisations to bring these offenders to justice.
“My thanks go to all the officers, staff and volunteers in Dorset Police for their continued dedication and hard work in keeping those who live, work and visit Dorset safe. We continue to be one of the safest places in the country thanks to your efforts.”
Visit www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/policeforceareadatatables for the full report.
Excellent! Just remember to report all crimes – not only does this affect the statistics, but it affects the distribution of our meagre allocation of Police Officers. If crimes aren’t reported, then officially there’s no crime, so why would Police be sent to patrol the area?