Safety index · Birmingham · data through August 2026
Is Handsworth safe?
Handsworth records a high level of reported crime for Birmingham. Its SafeRoute safety index is 35 out of 100 — 23 points below the Birmingham median of 58, ranking 65th of 69 Birmingham wards — based on 385 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 against other wards here, and cannot be read against a score in another city.
The largest reported category here is violent crime (47% 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 | 180 · 47% | |
| Criminal damage & arson | 37 · 10% | |
| Public order | 32 · 8% | |
| Vehicle crime | 25 · 6% | |
| Other theft | 21 · 5% | |
| Anti-social behaviour | 20 · 5% |
Walking in Handsworth 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
- Birchfield38/100 · Elevated
- Holyhead54/100 · Moderate
- Lozells35/100 · Elevated
- Handsworth Wood69/100 · Moderate
- Soho & Jewellery Quarter43/100 · Elevated
Common questions
Is Handsworth safe at night?
Elevated overall (safety index 35/100). 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?
Violent crime — 180 of 385 incidents (47%) reported within 1 km of the ward centre over the month to August 2026.
How is the Handsworth 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.