St. James's, Dudley: Safety
Safety
Crime in St. James's is higher than the UK and West Midlands averages, but it's heading in the right direction. Total recorded crimes have fallen year on year since 2024.
In 2024, the neighbourhood recorded 2,850 crimes. That dropped to 2,748 in 2025. The 2026 figures cover 9 months so far, but the monthly average has fallen to around 166 crimes per month, down from 237 in 2024. That's a real improvement.
Violent crime makes up the largest share of recorded offences, which matches what you see in neighbouring areas. Anti-social behaviour has fallen sharply, which is good news for what it's like to spend time on the streets here.
Source: police-recorded crime for St. James's ward (West Midlands Police, data.police.uk), Jan 2024–Aug 2026; residents from Census 2021. This summary may predate the latest data release; the table below has the current figures.
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Crime rate comparison
Crimes per 1,000 residents, Jan–Dec 2025. St. James's ward: West Midlands Police data via data.police.uk; residents from Census 2021. Averages are for all wards in the area over the same months. Planna's safety index uses the latest 12 months instead, so it can differ.
2024
2025
Jan–Aug 2026
St. James's ward
Crimes/1,000 residents
177.9
Higher than
UK average (England, Wales & N. Ireland)
98.8
Higher than
West Midlands region average
96.8
Neighbouring wards
Higher than
Netherton & Holly Hall
103.4
Higher than
Brockmoor & Pensnett
90.2
Higher than
St. Thomas's
103.9
Higher than
Castle & Priory
110.4
Higher than
Gornal
66.9
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Types of Crime
Share of police-recorded crimes in St. James's ward and the West Midlands region average, Jan–Dec 2025.
This ward
Regional average
- Violent offences46%40%
- Criminal damage and arson8%7%
- Shoplifting7%9%
- Vehicle crime6%7%
- Anti-social behaviour6%11%
- Public order6%6%
- Other theft6%6%
- Burglary4%4%
- Drugs3%3%
- Robbery2%2%
- Possession of weapons2%2%
- Other crime2%2%
- Theft from the person1%1%
- Bicycle theft<1%1%
