Crime in West Oxfordshire: statistics, rates and trends
5,924 crimes were recorded in West Oxfordshire in the 12 months to August 2026, 49.0 per 1,000 residents. That is lower than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and down 2% on the year before.
Table of Contents
- Crime map
- Crime in West Oxfordshire at a glance
- Crime trends in West Oxfordshire
- Types of crime in West Oxfordshire
- Home Office recorded crime in West Oxfordshire
- West Oxfordshire compared with nearby districts
- Areas within West Oxfordshire
- Streets with the most crime in West Oxfordshire
- What happened after crimes were reported in West Oxfordshire
- Demographics of West Oxfordshire
- Fly-tipping in West Oxfordshire
- Questions about crime in West Oxfordshire
- About this data
Crime map
Violence and sexual offences (2,586), anti-social behaviour (688) and public order (473) made up 63% of all recorded crime. Its crime rate ranks 289th of the 302 districts covered by this site (1 = highest), in the lowest tenth.
| Measure | West Oxfordshire | Oxfordshire | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crimes, the 12 months to August 2026 | 5,924 | 51,303 | 5,618,064 |
| Crimes per 1,000 residents | 49.0 | 67.2 | 96.7 |
| Change on previous 12 months | -2% | -1% | -1% |
| Population | 120,941 | 763,218 | 58,127,638 |
Recorded crime in West Oxfordshire peaked in the year to August 2023 (6,837 crimes) and was lowest in the year to August 2018 (4,659). Between the years to August 2018 and 2026 it rose 27%, while across England and Wales it fell 4%.
| Period | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year to August 2026 | 5,924 | 49.0 | 96.7 |
| Year to August 2025 | 6,028 | 49.8 | 97.2 |
| Year to August 2024 | 5,790 | 47.9 | 97.9 |
| Year to August 2023 | 6,837 | 56.5 | n/a |
| Year to August 2022 | 6,588 | 54.5 | 102.0 |
| Year to August 2021 | 6,040 | 49.9 | 101.4 |
| Year to August 2020 | 5,470 | 45.2 | 102.7 |
| Year to August 2019 | 5,166 | 42.7 | 101.7 |
| Year to August 2018 | 4,659 | 38.5 | 100.8 |
Month by month
| Month | Crimes |
|---|---|
| August 2026 | 487 |
| July 2026 | 536 |
| June 2026 | 534 |
| May 2026 | 542 |
| April 2026 | 443 |
| March 2026 | 443 |
| February 2026 | 458 |
| January 2026 | 477 |
| December 2025 | 498 |
| November 2025 | 510 |
| October 2025 | 477 |
| September 2025 | 519 |
No category with at least 20 crimes was notably above the England and Wales rate, and theft from the person (86% below) and possession of weapons (83% below) were well below it. On the year before, robbery rose from 29 to 36 and other crime rose from 112 to 138, while vehicle crime fell from 353 to 252 and possession of weapons fell from 25 to 20.
| Crime type | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Change on year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 2,586 | 21.4 | 34.2 | -1% |
| Anti-social behaviour | 688 | 5.7 | 15.4 | -9% |
| Public order | 473 | 3.9 | 6.7 | +15% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 453 | 3.7 | 6.7 | -7% |
| Shoplifting | 409 | 3.4 | 8.5 | +6% |
| Other theft | 405 | 3.3 | 6.4 | 0% |
| Burglary | 274 | 2.3 | 3.6 | +17% |
| Vehicle crime | 252 | 2.1 | 5.0 | -29% |
| Other crime | 138 | 1.1 | 2.1 | +23% |
| Drugs | 122 | 1.0 | 3.3 | -15% |
| Bicycle theft | 39 | 0.3 | 0.8 | -5% |
| Robbery | 36 | 0.3 | 1.4 | +24% |
| Theft from the person | 29 | 0.2 | 1.7 | -12% |
| Possession of weapons | 20 | 0.2 | 1.0 | -20% |
What each category covers: crime categories.
5,173 crimes, excluding fraud, were recorded by the police in West Oxfordshire in the year ending March 2026, according to the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics. That is 42.8 per 1,000 residents, lower than the England and Wales rate of 83.2. The total was up 3% on the year ending March 2025 (5,030), against a fall of 2% across England and Wales. Among the 272 districts of England and Wales with a figure for that year, West Oxfordshire had the 11th 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 West Oxfordshire, the year ending March 2026
The largest category was violence without injury, with 887 offences (17% 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 (0.14 times), possession of weapons (0.18 times) and trafficking of drugs (0.31 times).
The largest rises on the year were in bicycle theft (+46%) and residential burglary (+39%). The largest falls were in possession of weapons (−41%) and trafficking of drugs (−38%). 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 | 887 | 7.3 | 13.2 | 0.56 | +5% |
| Stalking and harassment | 803 | 6.6 | 10.1 | 0.66 | +17% |
| Violence with injury | 592 | 4.9 | 8.1 | 0.60 | −0% |
| Public order offences | 457 | 3.8 | 7.0 | 0.54 | +8% |
| Criminal damage | 417 | 3.4 | 6.8 | 0.50 | −1% |
| Other theft offences | 396 | 3.3 | 6.5 | 0.50 | +1% |
| Shoplifting | 391 | 3.2 | 8.1 | 0.40 | – |
| Vehicle offences | 277 | 2.3 | 5.0 | 0.46 | −28% |
| Residential burglary | 212 | 1.8 | 2.5 | 0.70 | +39% |
| Other sexual offences | 188 | 1.6 | 2.3 | 0.68 | +19% |
| Possession of drugs | 134 | 1.1 | 2.5 | 0.44 | +38% |
| Miscellaneous crimes against society | 89 | 0.74 | 2.1 | 0.35 | −15% |
| Rape | 74 | 0.61 | 1.2 | 0.51 | −1% |
| Non-residential burglary | 61 | 0.50 | 1.1 | 0.45 | −16% |
| Trafficking of drugs | 45 | 0.37 | 1.2 | 0.31 | −38% |
| Bicycle theft | 38 | 0.31 | 0.85 | 0.37 | +46% |
| Theft from the person | 31 | 0.26 | 1.8 | 0.14 | −3% |
| Arson | 26 | 0.21 | 0.38 | 0.57 | −7% |
| Possession of weapons | 22 | 0.18 | 1.00 | 0.18 | −41% |
| Robbery of personal property | 18 | 0.15 | 0.91 | 0.16 | −5% |
| Robbery of business property | 15 | 0.12 | 0.47 | 0.26 | – |
| Death or serious injury caused by unlawful driving | 0 | 0.00 | 0.03 | 0.00 | −100% |
| Homicide | 0 | 0.00 | 0.01 | 0.00 | – |
Recorded crime in West Oxfordshire 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. West Oxfordshire'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 | 5,173 | 42.8 | 83.2 |
| 2025 | 5,030 | 41.6 | 84.5 |
| 2024 | 5,469 | 45.2 | 86.2 |
| 2023 | 5,824 | 48.2 | 89.2 |
| 2022 | 5,356 | 44.3 | 85.4 |
| 2021 | 4,490 | 37.1 | 74.1 |
| 2020 | 5,008 | 41.4 | 84.7 |
| 2019 | 4,475 | 37.0 | 84.1 |
| 2018 | 3,879 | 32.1 | 78.2 |
| 2017 | 3,471 | 28.7 | 69.1 |
| 2016 | 3,455 | 28.6 | 62.3 |
| 2015 | 3,220 | 26.6 | 57.1 |
| 2014 | 3,642 | 30.1 | 55.9 |
| 2013 | 3,845 | 31.8 | 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, West Oxfordshire had the 3rd lowest 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.
7 of the 8 nearest districts have a higher crime rate than West Oxfordshire; the highest is Oxford district (107.0 per 1,000) and the lowest South Oxfordshire (47.5).
| District | Crimes | Per 1,000 | Rate vs West Oxfordshire |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vale of White Horse | 7,947 | 53.2 | +9% |
| Oxford | 17,767 | 107.0 | +118% |
| Cherwell | 12,225 | 71.7 | +46% |
| Swindon | 19,935 | 81.7 | +67% |
| South Oxfordshire | 7,440 | 47.5 | -3% |
| Stratford-on-Avon | 9,445 | 64.6 | +32% |
| West Berkshire | 10,756 | 65.1 | +33% |
| Buckinghamshire | 35,812 | 61.9 | +26% |
Of the 46 areas within West Oxfordshire, Witney South had the highest crime rate (129.3 per 1,000) and Hailey the lowest (22.0), 6 times apart.
| Area | Type | Population | Crimes | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Witney South | Neighbourhood | 6,388 | 826 | 129.3 |
| Witney Central | Neighbourhood | 6,365 | 447 | 70.2 |
| Carterton South | Neighbourhood | 4,152 | 283 | 68.2 |
| Witney | Town | 27,501 | 1,763 | 64.1 |
| Chipping Norton | Town | 7,469 | 465 | 62.3 |
| Alvescot and Filkins | Neighbourhood | 1,811 | 107 | 59.1 |
| Burford | Town | 2,167 | 126 | 58.1 |
| Chadlington | Town | 1,889 | 106 | 56.1 |
| Chadlington and Churchill | Neighbourhood | 1,889 | 106 | 56.1 |
| North Leigh | Town | 2,313 | 126 | 54.5 |
| Long Hanborough | Town | 3,782 | 179 | 47.3 |
| Carterton | Town | 19,241 | 898 | 46.7 |
| Minster Lovell | Town | 1,635 | 75 | 45.9 |
| Carterton North West | Neighbourhood | 6,711 | 300 | 44.7 |
| Witney West | Neighbourhood | 6,982 | 312 | 44.7 |
| Kingham, Rollright and Enstone | Neighbourhood | 4,223 | 188 | 44.5 |
| Ducklington | Town | 3,037 | 134 | 44.1 |
| Eynsham | Town | 6,790 | 298 | 43.9 |
| Eynsham and Cassington | Neighbourhood | 6,790 | 298 | 43.9 |
| Brize Norton and Shilton | Neighbourhood | 4,345 | 183 | 42.1 |
| Aston (West Oxfordshire) | Town | 1,560 | 65 | 41.7 |
| Woodstock | Town | 3,243 | 135 | 41.6 |
| Finstock | Town | 1,154 | 48 | 41.6 |
| Witney North | Neighbourhood | 3,896 | 159 | 40.8 |
| Freeland and Hanborough | Neighbourhood | 5,439 | 218 | 40.1 |
| Charlbury and Finstock | Neighbourhood | 3,893 | 153 | 39.3 |
| Charlbury | Town | 2,739 | 105 | 38.3 |
| Bampton (West Oxfordshire) | Town | 4,663 | 175 | 37.5 |
| Bampton and Clanfield | Neighbourhood | 4,663 | 175 | 37.5 |
| Tackley | Town | 1,560 | 58 | 37.2 |
| Woodstock and Bladon | Neighbourhood | 4,954 | 182 | 36.7 |
| Stonesfield and Tackley | Neighbourhood | 4,532 | 166 | 36.6 |
| Hailey, Minster Lovell and Leafield | Neighbourhood | 4,393 | 159 | 36.2 |
| Carterton North East | Neighbourhood | 5,155 | 181 | 35.1 |
| Standlake, Aston and Stanton Harcourt | Neighbourhood | 4,898 | 169 | 34.5 |
| Ascott and Shipton | Neighbourhood | 2,216 | 75 | 33.8 |
| Milton-under-Wychwood and Shipton-under-Wychwood | Town | 4,572 | 151 | 33.0 |
| Stanton Harcourt | Town | 1,704 | 55 | 32.3 |
| Milton-under-Wychwood | Neighbourhood | 2,356 | 76 | 32.3 |
| Witney East | Neighbourhood | 7,985 | 250 | 31.3 |
| Middle Barton | Town | 1,919 | 60 | 31.3 |
| The Bartons | Neighbourhood | 1,919 | 60 | 31.3 |
| Standlake | Town | 1,634 | 49 | 30.0 |
| Bladon | Town | 1,711 | 47 | 27.5 |
| Freeland | Town | 1,657 | 39 | 23.5 |
| Hailey | Town | 1,137 | 25 | 22.0 |
The 10 locations below account for 20% of the crime recorded in West Oxfordshire over the 12 months to August 2026; the most were recorded at “Supermarket” (346).
| Location | Crimes |
|---|---|
| On or near Supermarket | 346 |
| On or near Parking Area | 173 |
| On or near Petrol Station | 117 |
| On or near Sports/Recreation Area | 104 |
| On or near Market Square | 90 |
| On or near Park/Open Space | 83 |
| On or near Shopping Area | 69 |
| On or near High Street | 64 |
| On or near The Green | 59 |
| On or near Avenue Four | 51 |
Of the 5,236 crimes in West Oxfordshire with a recorded outcome, 32% ended with the investigation complete and no suspect identified, against 35% across England and Wales; 2.6% were awaiting a court outcome (England and Wales: 5.2%). The 688 anti-social behaviour reports have no outcome and are left out.
| Outcome | Crimes | Share | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unable to prosecute suspect | 2,072 | 39.6% | 34.5% |
| Investigation complete; no suspect identified | 1,666 | 31.8% | 35.3% |
| Under investigation | 627 | 12.0% | 11.5% |
| Status update unavailable | 303 | 5.8% | 4.7% |
| Local resolution | 158 | 3.0% | 3.1% |
| Awaiting court outcome | 136 | 2.6% | 5.2% |
| Action to be taken by another organisation | 135 | 2.6% | 1.3% |
| Further investigation is not in the public interest | 59 | 1.1% | 0.5% |
| Court result unavailable | 39 | 0.7% | 2.5% |
| Offender given a caution | 29 | 0.6% | 0.6% |
| Suspect charged as part of another case | 5 | 0.1% | 0.0% |
| Further action is not in the public interest | 4 | 0.1% | 0.3% |
West Oxfordshire has an estimated population of 120,941 (ONS, mid-2024). Compared with England and Wales it has fewer households without a car (12%, against 23%), fewer students (4.5%, against 7.9%) and fewer residents with no qualifications (14%, against 18%). On the England IoD 2025, the small areas (LSOAs) that make up West Oxfordshire average decile 7.9 (1 = most deprived), less deprived than average.
| Measure | West Oxfordshire | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Aged 0 to 15 | 17.8% | 18.3% |
| Aged 65 and over | 22.3% | 18.9% |
| Residents 16+ in work | 62.8% | 57.2% |
| Residents 16+ unemployed | 2.0% | 3.4% |
| Residents 16+ retired | 24.0% | 21.6% |
| Residents 16+ who are students | 4.5% | 7.9% |
| Residents 16+ with Level 4 qualifications or above (degree, HND and similar) | 38.3% | 33.8% |
| Residents 16+ with no qualifications | 13.9% | 18.2% |
| Households with no car or van | 11.5% | 23.3% |
| Homes owned outright or with a mortgage | 68.8% | 62.5% |
| Social rented homes | 13.3% | 17.1% |
| Private rented homes | 17.9% | 20.3% |
| Average deprivation decile (1 = most deprived, 10 = least) | 7.9 | 5.5 (England) |
985 fly-tipping incidents were recorded in West Oxfordshire in 2024/25 (8.1 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 West Oxfordshire has the council's figures by place, type of waste and size, and its enforcement actions and fines.
Is West Oxfordshire a safe place to live?
West Oxfordshire recorded 49.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to August 2026, lower than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and ranks 289th of the 302 districts on this site by crime rate (1 = highest).
What is the most common crime in West Oxfordshire?
Violence and sexual offences was the most common category, with 2,586 reports in the 12 months to August 2026, followed by anti-social behaviour (688).
Is crime in West Oxfordshire going up or down?
Recorded crime in West Oxfordshire was down 2% on the year before: 5,924 crimes in the 12 months to August 2026 against 6,028 in the previous 12 months.
What is the population of West Oxfordshire?
About 120,941 people (ONS mid-2024 estimate), 22% of them aged 65 or over (England and Wales: 19%).
Which police force covers West Oxfordshire?
West Oxfordshire is policed by Thames Valley.
How many crimes did the police record in West Oxfordshire in the year ending March 2026?
5,173 crimes, excluding fraud, in the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics: 42.8 per 1,000 residents, against 83.2 across England and Wales. In the year ending March 2025 the figure was 5,030.
Which offences are more common in West Oxfordshire 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 (887).
Police-recorded crime from data.police.uk (September 2017 to August 2026), ONS population estimates and Census 2021. Definitions and limitations: methodology.