#1Merley
5,489 people11.2 crimes per 1,000 a year·8.4 violent and sexual, 2.8 homes and vehicles·#9 of 2,138 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland
Merley, #1 on this list · Photo: Malc McDonald · CC BY-SA 2.0Dorset rankings · Safety
Safest towns in Dorset
Merley records the least crime per resident of Dorset’s 30 towns of 2,500+ with police.uk figures: 11.2 crimes per 1,000 residents a year (8.4 violent and sexual offences, 2.8 against homes and vehicles). 9 of the 30 grade A− or better on safety.
The Safety Grade: violent and sexual offences, burglary, vehicle crime and criminal damage recorded inside the town by police.uk, per 1,000 residents a year over three years, lowest first. The rank across England, Wales and Northern Ireland sits beside each letter. How grades work
#1A+
#2West Parley
3,665 people16.9 crimes per 1,000 a year·9.1 violent and sexual, 7.8 homes and vehicles·#61 of 2,138 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland
#3Lytchett Matravers
3,455 people17.3 crimes per 1,000 a year·12.0 violent and sexual, 5.3 homes and vehicles·#72 of 2,138 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland
All 30 towns, ranked
Crimes per 1,000 residents a year, lowest first; the sort uses the exact rate. Military garrison towns and university campuses keep their grades but aren’t ranked. Each rank across England, Wales and Northern Ireland links to the national list.
30 towns.
#TownGrade · UK rankCrime rate
1Merley5,489 peopleA+#9 of 2,138 nationally11.2 crimes per 1,000 a year·8.4 violent and sexual, 2.8 homes and vehicles
2West Parley3,665 peopleA#61 of 2,138 nationally16.9 crimes per 1,000 a year·9.1 violent and sexual, 7.8 homes and vehicles
3Lytchett Matravers3,455 peopleA#72 of 2,138 nationally17.3 crimes per 1,000 a year·12.0 violent and sexual, 5.3 homes and vehicles
4Verwood13,706 peopleA#98 of 2,138 nationally18.4 crimes per 1,000 a year·12.5 violent and sexual, 5.9 homes and vehicles
5Corfe Mullen10,036 peopleA#112 of 2,138 nationally18.9 crimes per 1,000 a year·11.9 violent and sexual, 7.0 homes and vehicles
6Alderholt2,868 peopleA−#148 of 2,138 nationally20.2 crimes per 1,000 a year·9.9 violent and sexual, 10.3 homes and vehicles
7Ferndown13,267 peopleA−#174 of 2,138 nationally21.0 crimes per 1,000 a year·13.8 violent and sexual, 7.2 homes and vehicles
T8Ashley Heath7,151 peopleA−#180 of 2,138 nationally21.3 crimes per 1,000 a year·10.9 violent and sexual, 10.4 homes and vehicles
T8Beaminster2,995 peopleA−#192 of 2,138 nationally21.7 crimes per 1,000 a year·15.7 violent and sexual, 6.0 homes and vehicles
10Chickerell3,973 peopleB+#342 of 2,138 nationally25.1 crimes per 1,000 a year·18.8 violent and sexual, 6.3 homes and vehicles
11West Moors10,432 peopleB+#381 of 2,138 nationally25.9 crimes per 1,000 a year·16.9 violent and sexual, 9.0 homes and vehicles
12Christchurch48,973 peopleB#521 of 2,138 nationally28.5 crimes per 1,000 a year·18.1 violent and sexual, 10.4 homes and vehicles
T13Gillingham11,009 peopleB#573 of 2,138 nationally29.4 crimes per 1,000 a year·20.0 violent and sexual, 9.4 homes and vehicles
T13Swanage9,115 peopleB#580 of 2,138 nationally29.4 crimes per 1,000 a year·21.3 violent and sexual, 8.1 homes and vehicles
T13Sherborne10,359 peopleB#581 of 2,138 nationally29.4 crimes per 1,000 a year·21.6 violent and sexual, 7.8 homes and vehicles
16Upton8,401 peopleB#612 of 2,138 nationally30.0 crimes per 1,000 a year·19.4 violent and sexual, 10.6 homes and vehicles
17Wareham5,876 peopleB−#676 of 2,138 nationally31.3 crimes per 1,000 a year·19.6 violent and sexual, 11.7 homes and vehicles
18Wimborne Minster16,629 peopleB−#737 of 2,138 nationally32.3 crimes per 1,000 a year·22.8 violent and sexual, 9.5 homes and vehicles
19Lyme Regis3,741 peopleB−#784 of 2,138 nationally33.2 crimes per 1,000 a year·23.2 violent and sexual, 10.0 homes and vehicles
20Bearwood4,134 peopleC+#881 of 2,138 nationally35.2 crimes per 1,000 a year·23.1 violent and sexual, 12.1 homes and vehicles
21Shaftesbury9,163 peopleC+#952 of 2,138 nationally36.6 crimes per 1,000 a year·22.3 violent and sexual, 14.4 homes and vehicles
T22Bridport12,294 peopleC+#1,016 of 2,138 nationally37.8 crimes per 1,000 a year·28.0 violent and sexual, 9.9 homes and vehicles
T22Blandford Forum11,805 peopleC+#1,022 of 2,138 nationally37.9 crimes per 1,000 a year·26.0 violent and sexual, 11.9 homes and vehicles
T24Sturminster Newton3,565 peopleC+#1,086 of 2,138 nationally39.5 crimes per 1,000 a year·29.8 violent and sexual, 9.6 homes and vehicles
T24Dorchester21,358 peopleC+#1,095 of 2,138 nationally39.7 crimes per 1,000 a year·27.4 violent and sexual, 12.3 homes and vehicles
26Weston5,208 peopleC+#1,123 of 2,138 nationally40.2 crimes per 1,000 a year·28.9 violent and sexual, 11.3 homes and vehicles
27Poole141,009 peopleC#1,137 of 2,138 nationally40.6 crimes per 1,000 a year·26.2 violent and sexual, 14.4 homes and vehicles
28Fortuneswell4,554 peopleC−#1,458 of 2,138 nationally49.0 crimes per 1,000 a year·38.5 violent and sexual, 10.5 homes and vehicles
29Weymouth55,540 peopleC−#1,471 of 2,138 nationally49.4 crimes per 1,000 a year·37.7 violent and sexual, 11.7 homes and vehicles
30Bournemouth196,453 peopleD#1,709 of 2,138 nationally57.5 crimes per 1,000 a year·37.1 violent and sexual, 20.4 homes and vehicles
Not ranked
Not on this list
2 military garrison towns and university campuses keep their grades but aren’t ranked: most residents serve in the forces or are students.
Quick answers
Questions people ask
What is the safest town in Dorset?
Merley ranks first on safety among 30 towns, with an A+: 11.2 crimes per 1,000 residents a year (8.4 violent and sexual offences, 2.8 against homes and vehicles). West Parley and Lytchett Matravers follow.
How are these towns ranked?
The Safety Grade: violent and sexual offences, burglary, vehicle crime and criminal damage recorded inside the town by police.uk, per 1,000 residents a year over three years, lowest first. The letter and rank are the same as on each town’s page. How grades work.
Why isn’t my town on this list?
Garrison towns and university campuses aren’t ranked, and towns without the figures this grade needs are counted above. The list covers Dorset’s towns of 2,500+ with the figure. Smaller places show it on their own pages; every town in Dorset is on the county page.
Go deeper
All Dorset rankings →More Dorset lists
Every list ranks the same 2,500+ towns, so a town’s rank means the same thing on each.
Best places to live30 towns · #1 West ParleyBest small towns16 towns · #1 West ParleyMost affordable towns30 towns · #1 FortuneswellTowns with the best schools30 towns · #1 BournemouthHealthiest towns30 towns · #1 Ashley HeathBest towns for jobs & income30 towns · #1 MerleyMost walkable towns30 towns · #1 DorchesterTowns with the lowest flood risk30 towns · #1 Alderholt and 8 moreBest towns for the outdoors30 towns · #1 SwanageMost historic towns30 towns · #1 BridportTowns with the most civic life30 towns · #1 Lytchett MatraversTowns with the highest household incomes32 towns · #1 PimperneDescribed, no lettersTowns with the lowest council tax32 towns · #1 Bearwood and 2 moreDescribed, no lettersTowns with the mildest winters32 towns · #1 SwanageDescribed, no lettersTowns with the warmest summers32 towns · #1 BearwoodDescribed, no lettersTowns with the coolest summers32 towns · #1 SwanageDescribed, no lettersTowns with the fewest frosts32 towns · #1 Fortuneswell and WestonDescribed, no lettersDriest towns32 towns · #1 FortuneswellDescribed, no lettersWettest towns32 towns · #1 BeaminsterDescribed, no letters
County by county
Safest towns, county by county
BedfordshireBerkshireBuckinghamshireCambridgeshireCheshireClwydCornwallCounty DurhamCumbriaDerbyshireDevonDorsetDyfedEast Riding of YorkshireEast SussexEssexGloucestershireGwentHampshireHertfordshireKentLancashireLeicestershireLincolnshireLondonMerseysideMid GlamorganNorfolkNorth YorkshireNorthamptonshireNorthumberlandNottinghamshireOxfordshireShropshireSomersetSouth YorkshireStaffordshireSuffolkSurreyTyne and WearWarwickshireWest GlamorganWest MidlandsWest SussexWest YorkshireWiltshireWorcestershire
Sources: data.police.uk street-level crime, 36 months to August 2026, 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.