Forest of Dean Crime Rate March 2023 | Monthly Statistics

For an area of 89,753 residents, 511 crimes were reported in March 2023, translating to a crime rate of 5.7 per 1,000 people. This figure is 25% below the UK average of 7.6 per 1,000, marking one of the lowest rates in the country for this month. The breakdown reveals a stark focus on violent crime, with 245 incidents of violence and sexual offences making up 48% of all reported crimes. Anti-social behaviour followed at 18.6%, while public order offences accounted for 7.8%. These patterns align with the seasonal transition to spring, when longer evenings may increase opportunities for interpersonal conflicts and disorder in local communities. The relatively low levels of property crime—such as burglary (0.2 per 1,000) and vehicle crime (0.1 per 1,000)—contrast sharply with the UK averages, suggesting that environmental factors or community dynamics in Forest of Dean may contribute to this divergence. The data also highlights a notable absence of certain crime types, with bicycle theft and robbery each recording zero incidents, though these could reflect underreporting rather than true absence. This month’s statistics illustrate a district where interpersonal crime dominates, yet property-related risks remain markedly lower than national benchmarks.

March 2023 saw a significant divergence in crime type distribution compared to the UK average. While violence and sexual offences in Forest of Dean (2.7 per 1,000) were 1% below the national rate, anti-social behaviour (1.1 per 1,000) was 6% higher than the UK average of 1.0 per 1,000, indicating a local challenge in managing disruptive conduct. Public order offences (0.5 per 1,000) were 22% below the UK average, and other theft (0.4 per 1,000) was 32% lower, suggesting effective policing or community engagement in these areas. The stark contrast in property crime rates is particularly noteworthy: burglary (0.2 per 1,000) was 39% below the UK average, and vehicle crime (0.1 per 1,000) was 79% lower. These figures may reflect the area’s rural character, where fewer densely populated zones reduce opportunities for such crimes. Residents might find the 48% share of violent crimes particularly relevant, as it underscores the need for targeted initiatives to address interpersonal conflicts. The absence of bicycle theft and robbery entirely—though likely due to underreporting—highlights the importance of continued community awareness campaigns.

In March 2023, Forest of Dean recorded 16 crimes per day on average, a figure that contextualises the monthly total of 511 incidents. Over the course of the month, one reported crime occurred for roughly every 176 residents, a monthly exposure rate that is lower than many urban areas but comparable to other rural districts. With a population of nearly 90,000, the 5.7 per 1,000 crime rate translates to a relatively low risk for individuals, though the concentration of violent crimes remains a concern. The daily crime figure, while seemingly high in absolute terms, is distributed across a wide geographic area, potentially diluting the impact on any single neighbourhood. This contrasts with larger cities, where higher population densities can concentrate crime in specific zones. The monthly exposure rate of 1-in-176 residents provides a tangible measure of risk: a resident has a 0.57% chance of experiencing a crime during the month. This statistic, while useful for understanding probabilities, does not account for factors like personal circumstances or location within the district. The comparison to the UK average further underscores the area’s relative safety, particularly in property crime categories, which may reflect a combination of low population density, effective policing, or community-driven crime prevention efforts.