Photo: Raimond Spekking · CC BY-SA 4.0Violent crime per resident is higher in Fortuneswell than in 82% of UK towns
Violent crime was down 13% in a year. More crime per resident is recorded in 19% of the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people. The grade is C−, built on crimes police recorded inside Fortuneswell’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026: #28 of 30 in Dorset. In a usual year, 38.5 violent and sexual offences and 10.5 incidents of burglary, vehicle crime and damage are logged per 1,000 inhabitants.
Crimes and reports per 1,000 residents (Census 2021) a year, September 2023 to August 2026.
What stands out about safety in Fortuneswell
Violent crime fell over the year
In the 12 months to August 2026 police recorded 13% less violent crime per resident in Fortuneswell than in the year before; across UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people violent crime held steady. Trend ↓
More crime than many places its size
Of 706 UK towns of 3,000 to 6,000 people, Fortuneswell has the 580th lowest rate of graded crime: lower than Newent, Copthorne and Wigton, higher than Essington, Arborfield Garrison and Westerham. Towns its size ↓
Neighbourhood ranks
39% of Fortuneswell’s residents live in a neighbourhood ranked in the highest-crime 20% of England (Indices of Deprivation 2025, crime domain), and 0% in the lowest-crime 30%. Neighbourhood ranks ↓
Written from the police.uk and government data on this page. Figures are crimes police recorded, not convictions.
What’s behind Fortuneswell’s grade
A fairly firm grade. Built on 670 graded crimes over three years. The grade adds violent and sexual offences and crimes against homes and vehicles per resident and ranks Fortuneswell against every UK town of 1,000 or more.
Per resident, against all UK towns; beside it, how it compares with towns its size.
Police in Fortuneswell identify a suspect more often than across UK towns
No suspect was identified for 48% of Fortuneswell’s burglaries, vehicle crimes and criminal damage, against 69% across UK towns, and for 11% of violent and sexual offences against 19%. Most violent cases close as “unable to prosecute” (61% here), usually because the victim doesn’t support a prosecution. About 10% of violent and 7% of household crimes reached court.
The latest outcome police.uk shows for each crime recorded in the first of the three years (September 2023 to August 2024), so most cases have closed. 265 crimes.
39% of Fortuneswell residents live in one of England’s highest-crime neighbourhoods
0% of residents live in the lowest-crime 30% of England’s neighbourhoods, and 39% in the highest-crime 20%. The crime domain scores the risk of violence, burglary, theft and criminal damage where people live, so it can read differently from the town-wide rate, which counts crimes where they happened.
Fortuneswell’s residents by the crime decile of their neighbourhood (LSOA, about 1,500 people) in the English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (crime domain), where 1 is the highest-crime 10% of England’s neighbourhoods and 10 the lowest.
Fortuneswell against towns its size
| # | Town | People | Violent | Homes & vehicles | Shops & theft | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bailrigg Lancashire | 4,788 | 4.7 | 2.5 | 7.9 | A+ |
| … | ||||||
| 8 | Merley Dorset | 5,489 | 8.4 | 2.8 | 3.8 | A+ |
| … | ||||||
| 41 | West Parley Dorset | 3,665 | 9.1 | 7.8 | 3.4 | A |
| … | ||||||
| 47 | Lytchett Matravers Dorset | 3,455 | 12 | 5.3 | 2 | A |
| … | ||||||
| 169 | Wool Dorset | 5,044 | 19.3 | 5.4 | 4.2 | B+ |
| … | ||||||
| 577 | Essington Staffordshire | 3,471 | 32.8 | 15.9 | 2.8 | C− |
| 578 | Arborfield Garrison Berkshire | 4,311 | 35.1 | 13.8 | 14.1 | C− |
| 579 | Westerham Kent | 3,390 | 28.9 | 20.1 | 19.2 | C− |
| 580 | Fortuneswell Dorset | 4,554 | 38.5 | 10.5 | 7 | C− |
| 581 | Ruthin Clwyd | 5,700 | 39.8 | 9.6 | 8.3 | C− |
| 582 | Winterton Lincolnshire | 4,764 | 37.5 | 12 | 3.9 | C− |
| 583 | Cullingworth West Yorkshire | 3,096 | 37.6 | 12.3 | 5.3 | C− |
| … | ||||||
| 706 | Eastchurch Kent | 3,381 | 132 | 13.9 | 3.5 | D− |
Safety letters rank against every UK town of 1,000 or more; the order here is context only.
Graded crime per 1,000 residents a year, September 2023 to August 2026, counting from the least: towns ranked near Fortuneswell, and others in Dorset.
How crime in Fortuneswell has moved
“Towns its size” pools all UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people that police.uk covers each month (Greater Manchester has no data).
Rolling twelve-month rate, per 1,000 residents a year (longer windows for smaller places, where a few crimes swing a month). In the 12 months to August 2026 against the 12 before: violent -13% (towns its size +1%), homes and vehicles -30% (towns its size -1%), shoplifting and theft -19% (towns its size +2%), anti-social behaviour +13% (towns its size +0%).
What police recorded in the last 12 months
Against the typical town its size, Fortuneswell runs highest on anti-social behaviour (15.6 per 1,000 against 8.8), public order (5.5 per 1,000 against 3.6) and violence & sexual offences (33.4 per 1,000 against 22.4).
Show as a table
| Category | In the grade | Reports | Per 1,000 | Typical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence & sexual offences | Violent | 152 | 33.4 | 22.4 |
| Anti-social behaviour | not graded | 71 | 15.6 | 8.8 |
| Public order | not graded | 25 | 5.5 | 3.6 |
| Criminal damage & arson | Home & vehicle | 22 | 4.8 | 4.5 |
| Other theft | not graded | 19 | 4.2 | 3.2 |
| Other crime | not graded | 7 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Shoplifting | not graded | 4 | 0.9 | 1.8 |
| Burglary | Home & vehicle | 4 | 0.9 | 1.9 |
| Vehicle crime | Home & vehicle | 4 | 0.9 | 2 |
| Drugs | not graded | 3 | 0.7 | 1 |
| Robbery | Violent | 2 | 0.4 | 0.2 |
| Theft from the person | not graded | 2 | 0.4 | 0 |
| Bicycle theft | not graded | 0 | 0 | 0.1 |
| Possession of weapons | Violent | 0 | 0 | 0.4 |
“Violent” is police.uk’s violence and sexual offences (which includes harassment, stalking and assault without injury), robbery and possession of weapons. Anti-social behaviour isn’t a crime category; shoplifting and other theft happen mostly in shops and town centres rather than to residents, so neither counts in the grade.
September 2025 to August 2026, per 1,000 residents. The tick on each bar is the typical (median) town among UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people.
Crime in Fortuneswell per 1,000 residents
A crime isn’t a victim: one person can report several, and crimes in a town centre often involve visitors rather than residents.
And about 7 burglaries, vehicle crimes or acts of criminal damage, plus 5 shoplifting and theft reports, in the 12 months to August 2026. Each dot is one resident; each coloured dot is one recorded crime.
Where in Fortuneswell police recorded crime
| At or near | Reports | Mostly |
|---|---|---|
| Car parks | 109 | 37% violent |
| Hospitals | 47 | 64% violent |
| Prisons | 46 | 70% violent |
| Supermarkets | 45 | 49% shoplifting & theft |
police.uk places each crime at an anonymous map point; some are named for the kind of place (a supermarket, a car park), and each row adds up every place of that kind in Fortuneswell. We show only these, never streets or homes.
Beside it, the public places police.uk named most often.
Two people died in collisions on Fortuneswell’s roads in 2021–2025
Police recorded 22 collisions with injuries inside Fortuneswell in five years, in which two people died (1 was a cyclist). 10 people were killed or seriously injured: 1 on foot and 3 on a bicycle.
Most UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people (81%) had no road deaths in these five years, so with numbers this small a single collision changes the picture; Fortuneswell’s two people are context, not a ranking.
Counting serious injuries too, Fortuneswell had 44.4 people killed or seriously injured per 100,000 residents a year, above the median for UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people (16.7).
Casualties are counted where the collision happened, not where people lived: a main road through town adds through-traffic, and residents’ own risk on roads elsewhere isn’t here. Seriously injured uses the Department for Transport’s adjusted figures, which even out the police forces’ different ways of recording injuries. There’s no national rate here: more than half of road deaths in England and Wales (58%) happen outside every town’s built-up area. Source: DfT road casualty statistics (STATS19), 2021–2025.
Collisions police recorded inside Fortuneswell’s built-up area, 2021–2025. Described here; not part of the Safety Grade.
Crime in the places around Fortuneswell
| Town | People | Violent | Homes & vehicles | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fortuneswell | 4,554 | 38.5 | 10.5 | C− |
| Grove | 1,032 | 64 | 6.5 | D |
| Weston | 5,208 | 28.9 | 11.3 | C+ |
| Southwell | 1,700 | 16.7 | 2 | A |
| Weymouth | 55,540 | 37.7 | 11.7 | C− |
| Chickerell | 3,973 | 18.8 | 6.3 | B+ |
| Dorchester | 21,358 | 27.4 | 12.3 | C+ |
| Crossways | 2,494 | 15.2 | 7.5 | A− |
Fortuneswell records more graded crime per resident than 5 of its 7 neighbours; only Grove and Weymouth record more. Weston, 1.3 miles away, records 28.9 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year (3-year average), against Fortuneswell’s 38.5.
Per 1,000 residents a year, the same three years. Tap a town for its safety page.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- A prison inside the boundary. police.uk counted 46 at or near a prison (70% violent) over three years. They count in Fortuneswell’s rate, as they would for any town that has them.
- Where crimes happen, not where victims live. police.uk places each crime at a point near where it happened. Town centres with shops, stations, a hospital and nightlife record more crime per resident, and residents of nearby villages who come in to shop or go out are part of that count.
- Bigger towns record more per resident. Across UK towns, recorded crime per resident rises steeply with size, more than in the U.S., so a city’s grade sits low against the whole UK. The “towns its size” figures show where Fortuneswell sits among towns like it; they are context and don’t change the grade.
- Points are approximate. police.uk moves each point to the nearest of a set of anonymous map points, so crimes near the edge of the built-up area can fall either side of it.
Questions about safety in Fortuneswell
Is Fortuneswell safe?
Police recorded 38.5 violent and sexual offences and 10.5 burglaries, vehicle crimes and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year over the three years to August 2026 (police.uk, inside Fortuneswell’s built-up area). That earns a C− for safety: less crime per resident than 23% of UK towns. Among 706 UK towns of 3,000 to 6,000 people, Fortuneswell is 580th from the least crime.
Is crime going up in Fortuneswell?
In the 12 months to August 2026, against the 12 months before, violent crime fell 13%, burglary, vehicle crime and damage fell 30%, shoplifting and theft fell 19% and anti-social behaviour rose 13%. Across UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people, violent crime held steady.
What is the most common crime in Fortuneswell?
Violence & sexual offences: 152 in the 12 months to August 2026, which in police.uk includes harassment, stalking and assault without injury. Next came public order (25) and criminal damage & arson (22), with 71 reports of anti-social behaviour.
How does Fortuneswell compare with Weymouth?
Weymouth records 37.7 violent and sexual offences and 11.7 crimes against homes and vehicles per 1,000 residents a year, against Fortuneswell’s 38.5 and 10.5, over the same three years.
Sources: data.police.uk street-level crime, 36 months to August 2026, points inside the built-up-area boundary · ONS Census 2021, output areas summed to the ONS 2022 built-up area · MHCLG English Indices of Deprivation 2025, crime domain by LSOA (residents from ONS Census 2021) · Department for Transport road casualty statistics (STATS19), collisions 2021–2025, points inside the built-up-area boundary · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.