As of February 2026, the annual crime rate in Dorset county stands at 5.7 crimes per 1000 people. Dorset's current crime levels are at 79% of the national crime rate. Criminal damage and arson crime makes up 7.5% of all crimes reported in the county. Criminal damage and arson crime totalled 4.2k representing a decrease 13.9% year-over-year.
| Dorset county | crime statistic | England & Wales |
|---|---|---|
| 5.7 | annual crime rate per 1k workday people | 7.3 |
| 79% | ratio of national crime rate | 100% |
| 7.5% | share of all crimes | 7.2% |
| 4.2k | crimes reported | 407k |
| -13.9% | annual change | -5.0% |
Crime rate ranking : Dorset county has the 5. lowest crime rate out of 54 counties
Criminal damage and arson crime totalled 4.2k representing a decrease 13.9% year-over-year. In the graph below, county are compared by crime rate and crime rate percentage change. Crime rate percentage change compares the county crime rate between February 2025 - January 2026 to the county crime rate in the previous 12 months. The size of the circle reflects the number of total crimes reported. The bigger the circle, the higher the number of crimes reported in the county.
-13.9% annual change, crime is declining
4.2k crimes reported
Crime rate percentage changeNumber of crime incidents by month from January 2014 to January 2026.
Crime rate per 1000 workday people compared to the national crime rate by year.
Total number of crimes reported in a given calendar month (1 = January … 12 = December) in the previous five years, i.e. from 2020 till 2024.
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