Safety index · Birmingham · data through August 2026
Is Handsworth Wood safe?
Handsworth Wood sits at the safer end of Birmingham by reported crime. Its SafeRoute safety index is 69 out of 100 — 11 points above the Birmingham median of 58, ranking 16th of 69 Birmingham wards — based on 90 incidents reported to West Midlands Police within 1 km of the ward centre over the month to August 2026.
DATA THROUGH AUGUST 2026 · 1 MONTH OF DATA
The 0–100 scale is calibrated to Birmingham — a typical Birmingham ward sits near 58. It ranks Handsworth Wood against other wards here, and cannot be read against a score in another city.
The largest reported category here is violent crime (56% of reports) — worth taking seriously when walking at night; the full mix is broken down below.
Where incidents cluster
What's reported here
| Violent crime | 50 · 56% | |
| Criminal damage & arson | 7 · 8% | |
| Vehicle crime | 7 · 8% | |
| Other theft | 6 · 7% | |
| Public order | 5 · 6% | |
| Anti-social behaviour | 4 · 4% |
Walking in Handsworth Wood at night?
SafeRoute scores every walking route against the same official crime data on this page — and shows how much of each route runs on lit streets. Compare the routes and share your walk. Free, no account.
Get SafeRoute on the App StoreNearby areas
- Handsworth35/100 · Elevated
- Holyhead54/100 · Moderate
- Birchfield38/100 · Elevated
- Perry Barr69/100 · Moderate
- Lozells35/100 · Elevated
Common questions
Is Handsworth Wood safe at night?
Moderate overall (safety index 69/100). At night, prefer lit, busier streets — a short detour often avoids the clusters on the map above.
What is the most common crime in Handsworth Wood?
Violent crime — 50 of 90 incidents (56%) reported within 1 km of the ward centre over the month to August 2026.
How is the Handsworth Wood safety index calculated?
SafeRoute weights each police-recorded incident by severity (violence weighs more than shoplifting), sums the last published month within 1 km of the ward centre, and normalises against Birmingham rates onto a 0–100 scale — higher is safer. It describes reported crime only; it is not a guarantee of safety. The scale is calibrated within Birmingham, so scores compare wards to each other and cannot be read against another city's.