Stop and search in Dorset
In the 12 months from September 2025 to August 2026, police recorded 663 stop and searches in Dorset, up 12% on the previous 12 months. The most common reason for a search was drugs (66% of searches). 70% of searches ended with no further action, and 10% in an arrest.
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Stop rates by ethnicity
Stop and searches over the 12 months, per 1,000 people in each group (population from Census 2021). Rates based on fewer than 30 searches aren't shown.
| Ethnicity (officer-defined) | Searches | Population | Per 1,000 people |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 21 | 1,081 | – |
| Other | 3 | 1,344 | – |
| White | 529 | 368,425 | 1.4 |
| Asian | 6 | 4,301 | – |
What people were searched for
| Reason for search | Searches | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Drugs | 438 | 66% |
| Weapons | 100 | 15% |
| Stolen Property | 83 | 13% |
| Theft-Related Items | 19 | 3% |
| Other | 17 | 3% |
| Criminal Damage Items | 6 | 1% |
What happened after the search
| Outcome | Searches | Share |
|---|---|---|
| No further action | 466 | 70% |
| Community resolution | 91 | 14% |
| Arrest | 68 | 10% |
| Summons / charged by post | 33 | 5% |
| Khat or Cannabis warning | 5 | 1% |
Neighbouring areas
Wiltshire · Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole · Somerset · East Devon · New Forest
Explore Dorset in the dashboard → All areas in England and Wales
Stop and search records from police.uk; population from ONS Census 2021. Updated monthly. How these figures are calculated. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.