Crime in Cherwell: statistics, rates and trends
12,225 crimes were recorded in Cherwell in the 12 months to August 2026, 71.7 per 1,000 residents. That is lower than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and almost unchanged on the year before.
Table of Contents
- Crime map
- Crime in Cherwell at a glance
- Crime trends in Cherwell
- Types of crime in Cherwell
- Home Office recorded crime in Cherwell
- Cherwell compared with nearby districts
- Areas within Cherwell
- Streets with the most crime in Cherwell
- What happened after crimes were reported in Cherwell
- Demographics of Cherwell
- Fly-tipping in Cherwell
- Questions about crime in Cherwell
- About this data
Crime map
Violence and sexual offences (4,915), shoplifting (1,577) and anti-social behaviour (1,223) made up 63% of all recorded crime. Its crime rate ranks 212th of the 302 districts covered by this site (1 = highest), in the lower half.
| Measure | Cherwell | Oxfordshire | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crimes, the 12 months to August 2026 | 12,225 | 51,303 | 5,618,064 |
| Crimes per 1,000 residents | 71.7 | 67.2 | 96.7 |
| Change on previous 12 months | 0% | -1% | -1% |
| Population | 170,426 | 763,218 | 58,127,638 |
Recorded crime in Cherwell peaked in the year to August 2022 (14,100 crimes) and was lowest in the year to August 2019 (10,312). Between the years to August 2018 and 2026 it rose 8%, while across England and Wales it fell 4%.
| Period | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year to August 2026 | 12,225 | 71.7 | 96.7 |
| Year to August 2025 | 12,247 | 71.9 | 97.2 |
| Year to August 2024 | 12,562 | 73.7 | 97.9 |
| Year to August 2023 | 13,533 | 79.4 | n/a |
| Year to August 2022 | 14,100 | 82.7 | 102.0 |
| Year to August 2021 | 12,444 | 73.0 | 101.4 |
| Year to August 2020 | 10,821 | 63.5 | 102.7 |
| Year to August 2019 | 10,312 | 60.5 | 101.7 |
| Year to August 2018 | 11,290 | 66.2 | 100.8 |
Month by month
| Month | Crimes |
|---|---|
| August 2026 | 1,057 |
| July 2026 | 1,126 |
| June 2026 | 1,069 |
| May 2026 | 1,077 |
| April 2026 | 1,052 |
| March 2026 | 1,005 |
| February 2026 | 982 |
| January 2026 | 959 |
| December 2025 | 979 |
| November 2025 | 999 |
| October 2025 | 970 |
| September 2025 | 950 |
No category with at least 20 crimes was notably above the England and Wales rate, and theft from the person (74% below) and anti-social behaviour (53% below) were well below it. On the year before, robbery rose from 80 to 134 and bicycle theft rose from 102 to 137, while vehicle crime fell from 629 to 417 and theft from the person fell from 96 to 75.
| Crime type | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Change on year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 4,915 | 28.8 | 34.2 | +1% |
| Shoplifting | 1,577 | 9.3 | 8.5 | +1% |
| Anti-social behaviour | 1,223 | 7.2 | 15.4 | +23% |
| Public order | 963 | 5.7 | 6.7 | -4% |
| Other theft | 909 | 5.3 | 6.4 | -8% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 796 | 4.7 | 6.7 | -2% |
| Burglary | 440 | 2.6 | 3.6 | -2% |
| Vehicle crime | 417 | 2.4 | 5.0 | -34% |
| Drugs | 302 | 1.8 | 3.3 | -6% |
| Other crime | 258 | 1.5 | 2.1 | +9% |
| Bicycle theft | 137 | 0.8 | 0.8 | +34% |
| Robbery | 134 | 0.8 | 1.4 | +68% |
| Possession of weapons | 79 | 0.5 | 1.0 | -20% |
| Theft from the person | 75 | 0.4 | 1.7 | -22% |
What each category covers: crime categories.
10,854 crimes, excluding fraud, were recorded by the police in Cherwell in the year ending March 2026, according to the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics. That is 63.7 per 1,000 residents, lower than the England and Wales rate of 83.2. The total was down 4% on the year ending March 2025 (11,259), against a fall of 2% across England and Wales. Among the 272 districts of England and Wales with a figure for that year, Cherwell had the 94th lowest rate (the street-level ranking above is among the 302 districts with street-level pages on this site, over the 12 months to August 2026).
Offences recorded in Cherwell, the year ending March 2026
The largest category was violence without injury, with 1,781 offences (16% of the total). No category with at least 20 offences had a rate a quarter or more above the England and Wales rate. Rates were lowest relative to the national rate for theft from the person (0.22 times), robbery of personal property (0.41 times) and vehicle offences (0.53 times).
The largest rises on the year were in bicycle theft (+27%) and other sexual offences (+21%). The largest falls were in theft from the person (−38%) and vehicle offences (−29%). Robbery of business property and shoplifting are not compared with the year ending March 2025: from April 2025 the Home Office Counting Rules were clarified so that a theft from a shop in which violence is used or threatened against staff or anyone else is recorded as robbery of business property rather than shoplifting (ONS).
| Offence | Offences | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Index (E&W = 1.00) | Change on 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence without injury | 1,781 | 10.5 | 13.2 | 0.79 | +1% |
| Shoplifting | 1,455 | 8.5 | 8.1 | 1.05 | – |
| Stalking and harassment | 1,373 | 8.1 | 10.1 | 0.80 | +15% |
| Violence with injury | 1,104 | 6.5 | 8.1 | 0.80 | −3% |
| Public order offences | 1,000 | 5.9 | 7.0 | 0.84 | +2% |
| Other theft offences | 867 | 5.1 | 6.5 | 0.78 | −19% |
| Criminal damage | 826 | 4.8 | 6.8 | 0.71 | +9% |
| Vehicle offences | 457 | 2.7 | 5.0 | 0.53 | −29% |
| Other sexual offences | 370 | 2.2 | 2.3 | 0.95 | +21% |
| Residential burglary | 286 | 1.7 | 2.5 | 0.67 | −1% |
| Possession of drugs | 261 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 0.61 | −15% |
| Miscellaneous crimes against society | 213 | 1.2 | 2.1 | 0.60 | −26% |
| Rape | 160 | 0.94 | 1.2 | 0.78 | −4% |
| Non-residential burglary | 147 | 0.86 | 1.1 | 0.77 | +18% |
| Bicycle theft | 124 | 0.73 | 0.85 | 0.85 | +27% |
| Trafficking of drugs | 109 | 0.64 | 1.2 | 0.54 | −10% |
| Possession of weapons | 98 | 0.58 | 1.00 | 0.58 | +3% |
| Theft from the person | 66 | 0.39 | 1.8 | 0.22 | −38% |
| Robbery of personal property | 63 | 0.37 | 0.91 | 0.41 | +17% |
| Robbery of business property | 52 | 0.31 | 0.47 | 0.64 | – |
| Arson | 39 | 0.23 | 0.38 | 0.60 | −13% |
| Homicide | 2 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 1.46 | – |
| Death or serious injury caused by unlawful driving | 1 | 0.01 | 0.03 | 0.17 | – |
Recorded crime in Cherwell since the year ending March 2013
The chart shows police recorded crime per 1,000 residents in each year ending March from 2013 to 2026. Cherwell's rate was below the England and Wales rate in every one of those 14 years. Changes in how forces record crime move these figures as well as changes in crime (methodology).
| Year ending March | Offences | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 10,854 | 63.7 | 83.2 |
| 2025 | 11,259 | 66.1 | 84.5 |
| 2024 | 11,386 | 66.8 | 86.2 |
| 2023 | 12,099 | 71.0 | 89.2 |
| 2022 | 11,993 | 70.4 | 85.4 |
| 2021 | 9,456 | 55.5 | 74.1 |
| 2020 | 10,705 | 62.8 | 84.7 |
| 2019 | 10,083 | 59.2 | 84.1 |
| 2018 | 10,395 | 61.0 | 78.2 |
| 2017 | 9,667 | 56.7 | 69.1 |
| 2016 | 8,290 | 48.6 | 62.3 |
| 2015 | 7,174 | 42.1 | 57.1 |
| 2014 | 7,287 | 42.8 | 55.9 |
| 2013 | 7,562 | 44.4 | 56.7 |
Districts in the Thames Valley Police area, the year ending March 2026
Of the 13 districts in the Thames Valley Police area with a figure for the year ending March 2026, Cherwell had the 5th highest rate.
| District | Offences | Per 1,000 | Index (E&W = 1.00) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 17,915 | 97.9 | 1.18 |
| Oxford | 15,987 | 96.3 | 1.16 |
| Slough | 14,784 | 88.3 | 1.06 |
| Milton Keynes | 26,843 | 87.8 | 1.05 |
| Cherwell | 10,854 | 63.7 | 0.77 |
| Windsor and Maidenhead | 9,081 | 57.1 | 0.69 |
| West Berkshire | 9,078 | 55.0 | 0.66 |
| Buckinghamshire | 31,038 | 53.6 | 0.64 |
| Bracknell Forest | 6,881 | 52.6 | 0.63 |
| Vale of White Horse | 6,925 | 46.4 | 0.56 |
| West Oxfordshire | 5,173 | 42.8 | 0.51 |
| South Oxfordshire | 6,359 | 40.6 | 0.49 |
| Wokingham | 7,341 | 39.2 | 0.47 |
Source: Home Office police recorded crime and outcomes open data tables (released 23 July 2026), gov.uk, Open Government Licence v3.0. Financial years, excluding fraud; how they differ from the street-level figures: methodology.
4 of the 8 nearest districts have a higher crime rate than Cherwell; the highest is Oxford district (107.0 per 1,000) and the lowest South Oxfordshire (47.5).
| District | Crimes | Per 1,000 | Rate vs Cherwell |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Oxfordshire | 5,924 | 49.0 | -32% |
| Oxford | 17,767 | 107.0 | +49% |
| Vale of White Horse | 7,947 | 53.2 | -26% |
| West Northamptonshire | 40,926 | 93.1 | +30% |
| Milton Keynes | 30,686 | 100.3 | +40% |
| Stratford-on-Avon | 9,445 | 64.6 | -10% |
| South Oxfordshire | 7,440 | 47.5 | -34% |
| Warwick | 12,914 | 83.4 | +16% |
Of the 33 areas within Cherwell, Banbury Cross and Neithrop had the highest crime rate (193.4 per 1,000) and Hook Norton the lowest (25.0), 8 times apart.
| Area | Type | Population | Crimes | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Banbury Cross and Neithrop | Neighbourhood | 12,676 | 2,452 | 193.4 |
| Bicester East | Neighbourhood | 9,709 | 1,100 | 113.3 |
| Banbury | Town | 54,956 | 5,437 | 98.9 |
| Banbury Ruscote | Neighbourhood | 10,456 | 956 | 91.4 |
| Bicester South and Ambrosden | Neighbourhood | 16,038 | 1,442 | 89.9 |
| Banbury Grimsbury and Hightown | Neighbourhood | 11,230 | 974 | 86.7 |
| Bicester | Town | 39,109 | 3,255 | 83.2 |
| Islip (Cherwell) | Town | 1,123 | 88 | 78.4 |
| Bicester West | Neighbourhood | 8,867 | 578 | 65.2 |
| Kidlington | Town | 15,942 | 937 | 58.8 |
| Kidlington East | Neighbourhood | 10,577 | 615 | 58.1 |
| Launton and Otmoor | Neighbourhood | 7,695 | 446 | 58.0 |
| Kidlington West | Neighbourhood | 8,996 | 498 | 55.4 |
| Banbury Hardwick | Neighbourhood | 10,896 | 549 | 50.4 |
| Ambrosden | Town | 1,374 | 68 | 49.5 |
| Upper Heyford | Town | 3,711 | 181 | 48.8 |
| Yarnton | Town | 3,631 | 176 | 48.5 |
| Bicester North and Caversfield | Neighbourhood | 11,047 | 525 | 47.5 |
| Fringford and Heyfords | Neighbourhood | 9,297 | 426 | 45.8 |
| Bloxham | Town | 2,848 | 130 | 45.6 |
| Cropredy, Sibfords and Wroxton | Neighbourhood | 10,594 | 480 | 45.3 |
| Chesterton | Town | 1,826 | 82 | 44.9 |
| Banbury Calthorpe and Easington | Neighbourhood | 11,140 | 479 | 43.0 |
| Broughton (Cherwell) | Town | 1,137 | 47 | 41.3 |
| Bletchingdon | Town | 1,640 | 65 | 39.6 |
| Launton | Town | 2,172 | 83 | 38.2 |
| Adderbury, Bloxham and Bodicote | Neighbourhood | 12,085 | 448 | 37.1 |
| Adderbury and Twyford | Town | 3,517 | 119 | 33.8 |
| Deddington | Town | 1,425 | 48 | 33.7 |
| Sibford Gower | Town | 1,437 | 48 | 33.4 |
| Bodicote | Town | 5,519 | 181 | 32.8 |
| Deddington | Neighbourhood | 9,123 | 257 | 28.2 |
| Hook Norton | Town | 1,563 | 39 | 25.0 |
The 10 locations below account for 26% of the crime recorded in Cherwell over the 12 months to August 2026; the most were recorded at “Parking Area” (917).
| Location | Crimes |
|---|---|
| On or near Parking Area | 917 |
| On or near Supermarket | 667 |
| On or near Shopping Area | 651 |
| On or near Petrol Station | 187 |
| On or near Oxford Road | 159 |
| On or near Police Station | 150 |
| On or near Palmer Avenue | 124 |
| On or near Nightclub | 117 |
| On or near Sheep Street | 115 |
| On or near Sports/Recreation Area | 113 |
Of the 11,002 crimes in Cherwell with a recorded outcome, 31% ended with the investigation complete and no suspect identified, against 35% across England and Wales; 3.2% were awaiting a court outcome (England and Wales: 5.2%). The 1,223 anti-social behaviour reports have no outcome and are left out.
| Outcome | Crimes | Share | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unable to prosecute suspect | 4,094 | 37.2% | 34.5% |
| Investigation complete; no suspect identified | 3,435 | 31.2% | 35.3% |
| Under investigation | 1,429 | 13.0% | 11.5% |
| Status update unavailable | 593 | 5.4% | 4.7% |
| Local resolution | 465 | 4.2% | 3.1% |
| Awaiting court outcome | 350 | 3.2% | 5.2% |
| Action to be taken by another organisation | 277 | 2.5% | 1.3% |
| Court result unavailable | 169 | 1.5% | 2.5% |
| Further investigation is not in the public interest | 104 | 0.9% | 0.5% |
| Offender given a caution | 68 | 0.6% | 0.6% |
| Formal action is not in the public interest | 6 | 0.1% | 0.3% |
| Offender given penalty notice | 5 | 0.0% | 0.1% |
Cherwell has an estimated population of 170,426 (ONS, mid-2024). Compared with England and Wales it has fewer students (4.9%, against 7.9%), fewer households without a car (15%, against 23%) and less social housing (13%, against 17%). On the England IoD 2025, the small areas (LSOAs) that make up Cherwell average decile 7.3 (1 = most deprived), less deprived than average.
| Measure | Cherwell | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Aged 0 to 15 | 19.1% | 18.3% |
| Aged 65 and over | 17.7% | 18.9% |
| Residents 16+ in work | 65.1% | 57.2% |
| Residents 16+ unemployed | 2.5% | 3.4% |
| Residents 16+ retired | 19.9% | 21.6% |
| Residents 16+ who are students | 4.9% | 7.9% |
| Residents 16+ with Level 4 qualifications or above (degree, HND and similar) | 35.1% | 33.8% |
| Residents 16+ with no qualifications | 16.0% | 18.2% |
| Households with no car or van | 14.7% | 23.3% |
| Homes owned outright or with a mortgage | 66.9% | 62.5% |
| Social rented homes | 13.3% | 17.1% |
| Private rented homes | 19.8% | 20.3% |
| Average deprivation decile (1 = most deprived, 10 = least) | 7.3 | 5.5 (England) |
1,332 fly-tipping incidents were recorded in Cherwell in 2024/25 (7.8 per 1,000 residents, against 21.1 across the councils in England that count all incidents), according to the council's return to Defra. Fly-tipping is not in the police figures on this page: fly-tipping in Cherwell has the council's figures by place, type of waste and size, and its enforcement actions and fines.
Is Cherwell a safe place to live?
Cherwell recorded 71.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to August 2026, lower than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and ranks 212th of the 302 districts on this site by crime rate (1 = highest).
What is the most common crime in Cherwell?
Violence and sexual offences was the most common category, with 4,915 reports in the 12 months to August 2026, followed by shoplifting (1,577).
Is crime in Cherwell going up or down?
Recorded crime in Cherwell was almost unchanged on the year before: 12,225 crimes in the 12 months to August 2026 against 12,247 in the previous 12 months.
What is the population of Cherwell?
About 170,426 people (ONS mid-2024 estimate), 18% of them aged 65 or over (England and Wales: 19%).
Which police force covers Cherwell?
Cherwell is policed by Thames Valley.
How many crimes did the police record in Cherwell in the year ending March 2026?
10,854 crimes, excluding fraud, in the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics: 63.7 per 1,000 residents, against 83.2 across England and Wales. In the year ending March 2025 the figure was 11,259.
Which offences are more common in Cherwell than across England and Wales?
None: no category with at least 20 offences had a rate a quarter or more above the England and Wales rate in the year ending March 2026. The largest category was violence without injury (1,781).
Police-recorded crime from data.police.uk (September 2017 to August 2026), ONS population estimates and Census 2021. Definitions and limitations: methodology.