Side-by-side crime statistics from official UK Police data.
BH15 · Poole
200
crimes in April 2026
Above national average
BH19 · Dorset
23
crimes in April 2026
Below national average
Swanage has less crime — 23 vs 200 incidents in April 2026.
Poole recorded substantially more crime than Swanage in April 2026 — 200 incidents compared to 23, a 8.7x difference. Both areas share Violence & sexual offences as their most common crime type, though Poole records significantly more (73 vs 16 incidents). Poole sits above the national average for recorded crime while Swanage is below — a significant gap for anyone weighing up the two.
Full reports cover 24 months of trends, ward breakdowns, outcome rates, and a detailed safety score — from £4.99.
Based on April 2026 Police data, Swanage recorded fewer crimes than Poole — 23 vs 200 incidents. That is 89% fewer crimes. Swanage is also below the national average for crime.
Both areas share Violence & sexual offences as their top crime category. In April 2026, Poole recorded 73 incidents of this type vs 16 in Swanage. Overall, Swanage had fewer total crimes (23 vs 200).