Crime in New Forest: statistics, rates and trends
10,266 crimes were recorded in New Forest in the 12 months to August 2026, 58.3 per 1,000 residents. That is lower than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and down 7% on the year before.
Table of Contents
- Crime map
- Crime in New Forest at a glance
- Crime trends in New Forest
- Types of crime in New Forest
- Home Office recorded crime in New Forest
- New Forest compared with nearby districts
- Areas within New Forest
- Streets with the most crime in New Forest
- What happened after crimes were reported in New Forest
- Demographics of New Forest
- Fly-tipping in New Forest
- Questions about crime in New Forest
- About this data
Crime map
Violence and sexual offences (4,070), anti-social behaviour (1,182) and criminal damage and arson (1,015) made up 61% of all recorded crime. Its crime rate ranks 269th of the 302 districts covered by this site (1 = highest), in the lowest quarter.
| Measure | New Forest | Hampshire | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crimes, the 12 months to August 2026 | 10,266 | 93,650 | 5,618,064 |
| Crimes per 1,000 residents | 58.3 | 64.7 | 96.7 |
| Change on previous 12 months | -7% | -2% | -1% |
| Population | 176,116 | 1,447,214 | 58,127,638 |
The year to August 2026 had the least recorded crime in New Forest of any year here (10,266 crimes). Between the years to August 2018 and 2026 it fell 17%, while across England and Wales it fell 4%.
| Period | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year to August 2026 | 10,266 | 58.3 | 96.7 |
| Year to August 2025 | 11,045 | 62.7 | 97.2 |
| Year to August 2024 | 11,521 | 65.4 | 97.9 |
| Year to August 2023 | 12,577 | 71.4 | n/a |
| Year to August 2022 | 14,069 | 79.9 | 102.0 |
| Year to August 2021 | 13,149 | 74.7 | 101.4 |
| Year to August 2020 | 13,009 | 73.9 | 102.7 |
| Year to August 2019 | 12,234 | 69.5 | 101.7 |
| Year to August 2018 | 12,346 | 70.1 | 100.8 |
Month by month
| Month | Crimes |
|---|---|
| August 2026 | 985 |
| July 2026 | 1,071 |
| June 2026 | 915 |
| May 2026 | 934 |
| April 2026 | 809 |
| March 2026 | 821 |
| February 2026 | 689 |
| January 2026 | 806 |
| December 2025 | 765 |
| November 2025 | 789 |
| October 2025 | 846 |
| September 2025 | 836 |
No category with at least 20 crimes was notably above the England and Wales rate, and theft from the person (88% below) and robbery (70% below) were well below it. On the year before, robbery rose from 48 to 71 and bicycle theft rose from 77 to 94, while shoplifting fell from 968 to 673 and possession of weapons fell from 132 to 104.
| Crime type | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Change on year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 4,070 | 23.1 | 34.2 | -11% |
| Anti-social behaviour | 1,182 | 6.7 | 15.4 | +14% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 1,015 | 5.8 | 6.7 | +5% |
| Public order | 834 | 4.7 | 6.7 | -8% |
| Other theft | 723 | 4.1 | 6.4 | -1% |
| Shoplifting | 673 | 3.8 | 8.5 | -30% |
| Burglary | 554 | 3.1 | 3.6 | -13% |
| Vehicle crime | 471 | 2.7 | 5.0 | -12% |
| Other crime | 242 | 1.4 | 2.1 | +11% |
| Drugs | 198 | 1.1 | 3.3 | +2% |
| Possession of weapons | 104 | 0.6 | 1.0 | -21% |
| Bicycle theft | 94 | 0.5 | 0.8 | +22% |
| Robbery | 71 | 0.4 | 1.4 | +48% |
| Theft from the person | 35 | 0.2 | 1.7 | -5% |
What each category covers: crime categories.
9,309 crimes, excluding fraud, were recorded by the police in New Forest in the year ending March 2026, according to the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics. That is 52.9 per 1,000 residents, lower than the England and Wales rate of 83.2. The total was down 10% on the year ending March 2025 (10,331), against a fall of 2% across England and Wales. Among the 272 districts of England and Wales with a figure for that year, New Forest had the 46th lowest rate (the street-level ranking above is among the 302 districts with street-level pages on this site, over the 12 months to August 2026).
Of the crimes recorded in the Hampshire Police area in the year ending March 2026, 2.2% were not assigned to a district. Those crimes are counted in the force and England and Wales totals but in no district, so the figure for New Forest is an undercount.
Offences recorded in New Forest, the year ending March 2026
The largest category was stalking and harassment, with 1,380 offences (15% of the total). No category with at least 20 offences had a rate a quarter or more above the England and Wales rate. Rates were lowest relative to the national rate for theft from the person (0.12 times), trafficking of drugs (0.22 times) and robbery of personal property (0.22 times).
The largest rises on the year were in miscellaneous crimes against society (+10%). The largest falls were in bicycle theft (−43%) and trafficking of drugs (−38%). Robbery of business property and shoplifting are not compared with the year ending March 2025: from April 2025 the Home Office Counting Rules were clarified so that a theft from a shop in which violence is used or threatened against staff or anyone else is recorded as robbery of business property rather than shoplifting (ONS).
| Offence | Offences | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Index (E&W = 1.00) | Change on 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stalking and harassment | 1,380 | 7.8 | 10.1 | 0.78 | +3% |
| Violence without injury | 1,314 | 7.5 | 13.2 | 0.56 | −5% |
| Violence with injury | 1,050 | 6.0 | 8.1 | 0.73 | −2% |
| Criminal damage | 911 | 5.2 | 6.8 | 0.76 | −13% |
| Public order offences | 889 | 5.0 | 7.0 | 0.73 | −6% |
| Shoplifting | 764 | 4.3 | 8.1 | 0.53 | – |
| Other theft offences | 661 | 3.8 | 6.5 | 0.57 | −20% |
| Vehicle offences | 476 | 2.7 | 5.0 | 0.54 | −31% |
| Residential burglary | 409 | 2.3 | 2.5 | 0.93 | +0% |
| Other sexual offences | 311 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 0.78 | +4% |
| Non-residential burglary | 230 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 1.17 | −0% |
| Miscellaneous crimes against society | 223 | 1.3 | 2.1 | 0.60 | +10% |
| Possession of drugs | 177 | 1.0 | 2.5 | 0.40 | −8% |
| Rape | 129 | 0.73 | 1.2 | 0.61 | −15% |
| Possession of weapons | 106 | 0.60 | 1.00 | 0.60 | −13% |
| Bicycle theft | 72 | 0.41 | 0.85 | 0.48 | −43% |
| Trafficking of drugs | 45 | 0.26 | 1.2 | 0.22 | −38% |
| Arson | 41 | 0.23 | 0.38 | 0.61 | −11% |
| Theft from the person | 38 | 0.22 | 1.8 | 0.12 | −12% |
| Robbery of personal property | 35 | 0.20 | 0.91 | 0.22 | −26% |
| Robbery of business property | 32 | 0.18 | 0.47 | 0.38 | – |
| Death or serious injury caused by unlawful driving | 15 | 0.09 | 0.03 | 2.44 | +7% |
| Homicide | 1 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.71 | – |
Recorded crime in New Forest since the year ending March 2021
The chart shows police recorded crime per 1,000 residents in each year ending March from 2021 to 2026. New Forest's rate was below the England and Wales rate in every one of those 6 years. The series starts in the year ending March 2021 because the share of crimes in the Hampshire Police area not assigned to a district moved from 1.5% in the year ending March 2020 to 2.6% in the year ending March 2021, which changes district totals without any change in crime.
Changes in how forces record crime move these figures as well as changes in crime (methodology).
| Year ending March | Offences | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 9,309 | 52.9 | 83.2 |
| 2025 | 10,331 | 58.7 | 84.5 |
| 2024 | 10,678 | 60.6 | 86.2 |
| 2023 | 12,140 | 68.9 | 89.2 |
| 2022 | 11,837 | 67.2 | 85.4 |
| 2021 | 9,894 | 56.2 | 74.1 |
Districts in the Hampshire Police area, the year ending March 2026
Of the 11 districts in the Hampshire Police area with a figure for the year ending March 2026, New Forest had the 4th lowest rate. Basingstoke and Deane, Hart and Rushmoor are not in the table because the Home Office publishes each of them jointly with a neighbouring district, as one community safety partnership.
| District | Offences | Per 1,000 | Index (E&W = 1.00) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southampton | 31,147 | 120.1 | 1.44 |
| Portsmouth | 24,163 | 112.7 | 1.35 |
| Isle of Wight | 10,776 | 76.1 | 0.91 |
| Havant | 9,621 | 75.8 | 0.91 |
| Gosport | 5,953 | 71.8 | 0.86 |
| Winchester | 7,570 | 55.8 | 0.67 |
| Eastleigh | 7,856 | 55.0 | 0.66 |
| New Forest | 9,309 | 52.9 | 0.64 |
| Test Valley | 7,055 | 52.2 | 0.63 |
| Fareham | 5,997 | 52.0 | 0.62 |
| East Hampshire | 5,640 | 43.4 | 0.52 |
Source: Home Office police recorded crime and outcomes open data tables (released 23 July 2026), gov.uk, Open Government Licence v3.0. Financial years, excluding fraud; how they differ from the street-level figures: methodology.
Every one of the 8 nearest districts has a higher crime rate than New Forest.
| District | Crimes | Per 1,000 | Rate vs New Forest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southampton | 34,688 | 133.7 | +129% |
| Eastleigh | 9,432 | 66.0 | +13% |
| Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | 35,930 | 87.9 | +51% |
| Fareham | 7,052 | 61.1 | +5% |
| Isle of Wight | 11,831 | 83.5 | +43% |
| Gosport | 6,598 | 79.6 | +37% |
| Winchester | 8,388 | 61.8 | +6% |
| Test Valley | 8,243 | 61.0 | +5% |
Of the 49 areas within New Forest, Milton had the highest crime rate (102.9 per 1,000) and Sandleheath the lowest (19.7), 5 times apart.
| Area | Type | Population | Crimes | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milton | Neighbourhood | 6,339 | 652 | 102.9 |
| New Milton | Town | 10,450 | 1,021 | 97.7 |
| Ringwood South | Neighbourhood | 8,149 | 780 | 95.7 |
| Ballard | Neighbourhood | 4,111 | 369 | 89.8 |
| Totton Central | Neighbourhood | 7,866 | 694 | 88.2 |
| Totton North | Neighbourhood | 11,349 | 912 | 80.4 |
| Fordingbridge | Town | 5,424 | 408 | 75.2 |
| Burley | Town | 1,307 | 94 | 71.9 |
| Ringwood | Town | 12,904 | 920 | 71.3 |
| Totton | Town | 26,133 | 1,810 | 69.3 |
| Lyndhurst & Minstead | Neighbourhood | 4,260 | 287 | 67.4 |
| Hythe South | Neighbourhood | 7,358 | 490 | 66.6 |
| Lymington | Neighbourhood | 7,996 | 509 | 63.7 |
| Holbury | Town | 7,722 | 482 | 62.4 |
| Ashurst, Bramshaw, Copythorne & Netley Marsh | Neighbourhood | 6,709 | 414 | 61.7 |
| Fawley, Blackfield, Calshot & Langley | Neighbourhood | 7,483 | 459 | 61.3 |
| Dibden & Dibden Purlieu | Neighbourhood | 7,085 | 430 | 60.7 |
| Hythe and Dibden Purlieu | Town | 20,390 | 1,236 | 60.6 |
| Lyndhurst | Town | 2,957 | 179 | 60.5 |
| Fordingbridge, Godshill & Hyde | Neighbourhood | 8,272 | 490 | 59.2 |
| Lymington | Town | 15,689 | 907 | 57.8 |
| Hardley, Holbury & North Blackfield | Neighbourhood | 6,393 | 369 | 57.7 |
| Forest & Solent | Neighbourhood | 3,642 | 210 | 57.7 |
| Blackfield and Langley | Town | 6,154 | 346 | 56.2 |
| Hythe Central | Neighbourhood | 5,947 | 316 | 53.1 |
| Pennington | Neighbourhood | 7,693 | 398 | 51.7 |
| Marchwood | Town | 5,855 | 297 | 50.7 |
| Brockenhurst | Town | 3,440 | 170 | 49.4 |
| Brockenhurst & Denny Lodge | Neighbourhood | 3,440 | 170 | 49.4 |
| Marchwood & Eling | Neighbourhood | 7,308 | 349 | 47.8 |
| Woodgreen | Town | 1,336 | 61 | 45.7 |
| Downlands & Forest North | Neighbourhood | 2,791 | 126 | 45.1 |
| Ashley, Bashley & Fernhill | Neighbourhood | 7,667 | 342 | 44.6 |
| Bransgore, Burley, Sopley & Ringwood East | Neighbourhood | 6,886 | 290 | 42.1 |
| Ringwood North & Ellingham | Neighbourhood | 7,398 | 303 | 41.0 |
| Totton South | Neighbourhood | 8,384 | 342 | 40.8 |
| Ashley (New Forest) | Town | 7,984 | 308 | 38.6 |
| Ashurst | Town | 1,407 | 52 | 37.0 |
| Bransgore | Town | 4,086 | 140 | 34.3 |
| Hightown (New Forest) | Town | 1,491 | 51 | 34.2 |
| Woodlands | Town | 1,100 | 36 | 32.7 |
| Milford on Sea | Town | 4,860 | 142 | 29.2 |
| Sway | Neighbourhood | 3,871 | 111 | 28.7 |
| Sway | Town | 1,797 | 48 | 26.7 |
| Milford & Hordle | Neighbourhood | 10,443 | 277 | 26.5 |
| Barton on Sea | Town | 7,276 | 177 | 24.3 |
| Barton & Becton | Neighbourhood | 7,276 | 177 | 24.3 |
| Everton (New Forest) | Town | 2,021 | 49 | 24.2 |
| Sandleheath | Town | 1,571 | 31 | 19.7 |
The 10 locations below account for 19% of the crime recorded in New Forest over the 12 months to August 2026; the most were recorded at “Parking Area” (751).
| Location | Crimes |
|---|---|
| On or near Parking Area | 751 |
| On or near Supermarket | 381 |
| On or near Sports/Recreation Area | 262 |
| On or near Petrol Station | 178 |
| On or near High Street | 99 |
| On or near Park/Open Space | 96 |
| On or near Nelson Close | 62 |
| On or near St Thomas Street | 58 |
| On or near Ringwood Road | 56 |
| On or near Anchor Mews | 45 |
Of the 9,084 crimes in New Forest with a recorded outcome, 36% ended with the investigation complete and no suspect identified, against 35% across England and Wales; 4.0% were awaiting a court outcome (England and Wales: 5.2%). The 1,182 anti-social behaviour reports have no outcome and are left out.
| Outcome | Crimes | Share | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Investigation complete; no suspect identified | 3,258 | 35.9% | 35.3% |
| Unable to prosecute suspect | 3,129 | 34.4% | 34.5% |
| Under investigation | 1,044 | 11.5% | 11.5% |
| Local resolution | 444 | 4.9% | 3.1% |
| Awaiting court outcome | 360 | 4.0% | 5.2% |
| Status update unavailable | 337 | 3.7% | 4.7% |
| Action to be taken by another organisation | 156 | 1.7% | 1.3% |
| Court result unavailable | 126 | 1.4% | 2.5% |
| Offender given a caution | 89 | 1.0% | 0.6% |
| Further investigation is not in the public interest | 83 | 0.9% | 0.5% |
| Formal action is not in the public interest | 41 | 0.5% | 0.3% |
| Further action is not in the public interest | 12 | 0.1% | 0.3% |
New Forest has an estimated population of 176,116 (ONS, mid-2024). Compared with England and Wales it has an older population (31%, against 19%), more retired residents (33%, against 22%) and fewer households without a car (12%, against 23%). On the England IoD 2025, the small areas (LSOAs) that make up New Forest average decile 7.2 (1 = most deprived), less deprived than average.
| Measure | New Forest | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Aged 0 to 15 | 14.9% | 18.3% |
| Aged 65 and over | 30.7% | 18.9% |
| Residents 16+ in work | 52.9% | 57.2% |
| Residents 16+ unemployed | 2.1% | 3.4% |
| Residents 16+ retired | 33.4% | 21.6% |
| Residents 16+ who are students | 4.2% | 7.9% |
| Residents 16+ with Level 4 qualifications or above (degree, HND and similar) | 31.2% | 33.8% |
| Residents 16+ with no qualifications | 16.1% | 18.2% |
| Households with no car or van | 11.6% | 23.3% |
| Homes owned outright or with a mortgage | 74.8% | 62.5% |
| Social rented homes | 10.8% | 17.1% |
| Private rented homes | 14.3% | 20.3% |
| Average deprivation decile (1 = most deprived, 10 = least) | 7.2 | 5.5 (England) |
| Residents in the most deprived 10% of areas | 1.7% | 10.1% (England) |
1,361 fly-tipping incidents were recorded in New Forest in 2024/25 (7.7 per 1,000 residents; the council counts only fly-tips reported by the public), according to the council's return to Defra. Fly-tipping is not in the police figures on this page: fly-tipping in New Forest has the council's figures by place, type of waste and size, and its enforcement actions and fines.
Is New Forest a safe place to live?
New Forest recorded 58.3 crimes per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to August 2026, lower than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and ranks 269th of the 302 districts on this site by crime rate (1 = highest).
What is the most common crime in New Forest?
Violence and sexual offences was the most common category, with 4,070 reports in the 12 months to August 2026, followed by anti-social behaviour (1,182).
Is crime in New Forest going up or down?
Recorded crime in New Forest was down 7% on the year before: 10,266 crimes in the 12 months to August 2026 against 11,045 in the previous 12 months.
What is the population of New Forest?
About 176,116 people (ONS mid-2024 estimate), 31% of them aged 65 or over (England and Wales: 19%).
Which police force covers New Forest?
New Forest is policed by Hampshire.
How many crimes did the police record in New Forest in the year ending March 2026?
9,309 crimes, excluding fraud, in the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics: 52.9 per 1,000 residents, against 83.2 across England and Wales. In the year ending March 2025 the figure was 10,331.
Which offences are more common in New Forest than across England and Wales?
None: no category with at least 20 offences had a rate a quarter or more above the England and Wales rate in the year ending March 2026. The largest category was stalking and harassment (1,380).
Police-recorded crime from data.police.uk (September 2017 to August 2026), ONS population estimates and Census 2021. Definitions and limitations: methodology.