Safety index · Birmingham · data through July 2026
Is Small Heath safe?
Small Heath records more reported crime than most Birmingham wards. Its SafeRoute safety index is 51 out of 100 — 4 points below the Birmingham median of 55, ranking 44th of 69 Birmingham wards — based on 195 incidents reported to West Midlands Police within 1 km of the ward centre over the month to July 2026.
DATA THROUGH JULY 2026 · 1 MONTH OF DATA
The 0–100 scale is calibrated to Birmingham — a typical Birmingham ward sits near 55. It ranks Small Heath against other wards here, and cannot be read against a score in another city.
The largest reported category here is violent crime (48% 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 | 93 · 48% | |
| Criminal damage & arson | 19 · 10% | |
| Public order | 14 · 7% | |
| Weapons possession | 9 · 5% | |
| Burglary | 10 · 5% | |
| Drugs | 9 · 5% |
Walking in Small Heath at night?
SafeRoute scores every walking route against the same live crime data on this page — and shows how much of each route runs on lit streets. Pick the safer way, share your walk, and check in when you arrive. Free, no account.
Get SafeRoute on the App StoreCommon questions
Is Small Heath safe at night?
Moderate overall (safety index 51/100). At night, prefer lit, busier streets — a short detour often avoids the clusters on the map above.
What is the most common crime in Small Heath?
Violent crime — 93 of 195 incidents (48%) reported within 1 km of the ward centre over the month to July 2026.
How is the Small Heath 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.