Hundreds of Arrest Warrants Remain Outstanding in Dorset, FOI Figures Reveal

New figures released by Dorset Police show that hundreds of arrest warrants remain outstanding across the county, with many linked to theft, assault and traffic-related offences.

The data, published in response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, details the number of active arrest warrants held by the force as of 4 November 2025. According to the disclosure, Dorset Police had 459 live or outstanding warrants recorded on their systems at that time.

Most Common Offences

The figures reveal that the largest proportion of outstanding warrants relate to theft and acquisitive crime, alongside traffic and drug-related matters. “Other theft” offences account for the highest number, followed closely by drug possession and general traffic offences.

Violent crime also features prominently, with dozens of warrants issued for Section 47 assault, while sexual offences, although lower in volume, remain a notable concern due to their seriousness.

These patterns suggest that everyday criminality — rather than only serious organised crime — continues to drive a significant share of unresolved warrants in Dorset.

Long-Running Warrants Raise Concerns

Of the total number of outstanding warrants, 199 have been active for more than 12 months, indicating ongoing difficulties in locating suspects or progressing cases.

Older warrants are most commonly associated with:

Non-crime matters

Traffic-related offences

Theft

Sexual offences

The persistence of year-old warrants highlights the challenges faced by police forces nationwide, including offenders moving out of force areas, limited resources, and the administrative complexity of older cases.

What the Figures Show

The FOI data offers a snapshot of the operational pressures faced by Dorset Police. While many outstanding warrants relate to lower-level offences, the cumulative volume places demands on officers and court systems, and unresolved cases can undermine public confidence.

By releasing this information, Dorset Police has provided greater transparency around the scale and nature of outstanding warrants — helping the public better understand how policing resources are stretched across both serious and routine offending.