Crime in the Wiltshire Police area: statistics, rates and trends
51,659 crimes were recorded in the Wiltshire Police area in the 12 months to August 2026, 67.3 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 the Wiltshire Police area at a glance
- Crime trends in the Wiltshire Police area
- Types of crime in the Wiltshire Police area
- Home Office recorded crime in the Wiltshire Police area
- The Wiltshire Police area compared with nearby police force areas
- Areas within the Wiltshire Police area
- What happened after crimes were reported in the Wiltshire Police area
- Demographics of the Wiltshire Police area
- Questions about crime in the Wiltshire Police area
- About this data
Crime map
Violence and sexual offences (19,738), anti-social behaviour (10,122) and criminal damage and arson (4,205) made up 66% of all recorded crime. Its crime rate ranks 40th of the 41 police force areas covered by this site (1 = highest), in the lowest tenth.
| Measure | the Wiltshire Police area | England | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crimes, the 12 months to August 2026 | 51,659 | 5,311,106 | 5,618,064 |
| Crimes per 1,000 residents | 67.3 | 96.7 | 96.7 |
| Change on previous 12 months | 0% | -1% | -1% |
| Population | 767,575 | 54,941,057 | 58,127,638 |
Recorded crime in the Wiltshire Police area peaked in the year to August 2019 (60,466 crimes) and was lowest in the year to August 2024 (50,675). Between the years to August 2018 and 2026 it fell 14%, while across England and Wales it fell 4%.
| Period | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year to August 2026 | 51,659 | 67.3 | 96.7 |
| Year to August 2025 | 51,652 | 67.3 | 97.2 |
| Year to August 2024 | 50,675 | 66.0 | 97.9 |
| Year to August 2023 | 53,778 | 70.1 | n/a |
| Year to August 2022 | 55,995 | 73.0 | 102.0 |
| Year to August 2021 | 52,954 | 69.0 | 101.4 |
| Year to August 2020 | 54,908 | 71.5 | 102.7 |
| Year to August 2019 | 60,466 | 78.8 | 101.7 |
| Year to August 2018 | 59,887 | 78.0 | 100.8 |
Month by month
| Month | Crimes |
|---|---|
| August 2026 | 4,557 |
| July 2026 | 4,878 |
| June 2026 | 4,255 |
| May 2026 | 4,321 |
| April 2026 | 4,513 |
| March 2026 | 4,560 |
| February 2026 | 3,951 |
| January 2026 | 3,994 |
| December 2025 | 4,006 |
| November 2025 | 4,165 |
| October 2025 | 4,352 |
| September 2025 | 4,107 |
No category with at least 20 crimes was notably above the England and Wales rate, and theft from the person (80% below) and robbery (76% below) were well below it.
| Crime type | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Change on year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 19,738 | 25.7 | 34.2 | +3% |
| Anti-social behaviour | 10,122 | 13.2 | 15.4 | +1% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 4,205 | 5.5 | 6.7 | -1% |
| Public order | 3,960 | 5.2 | 6.7 | -3% |
| Shoplifting | 3,867 | 5.0 | 8.5 | -4% |
| Other theft | 2,749 | 3.6 | 6.4 | +4% |
| Vehicle crime | 1,848 | 2.4 | 5.0 | 0% |
| Burglary | 1,576 | 2.1 | 3.6 | -4% |
| Drugs | 1,165 | 1.5 | 3.3 | -10% |
| Other crime | 1,070 | 1.4 | 2.1 | -13% |
| Bicycle theft | 430 | 0.6 | 0.8 | -13% |
| Possession of weapons | 426 | 0.6 | 1.0 | -4% |
| Theft from the person | 257 | 0.3 | 1.7 | -4% |
| Robbery | 246 | 0.3 | 1.4 | +1% |
What each category covers: crime categories.
43,053 crimes, excluding fraud, were recorded by the police in the Wiltshire Police area in the year ending March 2026, according to the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics. That is 56.1 per 1,000 residents, lower than the England and Wales rate of 83.2. The total was up 7% on the year ending March 2025 (40,297), against a fall of 2% across England and Wales. Among the 43 territorial police force areas of England and Wales, the Wiltshire Police area had the 3rd lowest rate (the street-level ranking above is among the 41 force areas with street-level pages on this site, over the 12 months to August 2026).
Offences recorded in the Wiltshire Police area, the year ending March 2026
The largest category was violence without injury, with 7,640 offences (18% 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 robbery of business property (0.12 times), theft from the person (0.17 times) and robbery of personal property (0.34 times).
The largest rises on the year were in arson (+34%) and robbery of personal property (+31%). The largest falls were in vehicle offences (−13%). 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 | 7,640 | 10.0 | 13.2 | 0.75 | +10% |
| Violence with injury | 5,740 | 7.5 | 8.1 | 0.92 | +2% |
| Stalking and harassment | 4,477 | 5.8 | 10.1 | 0.58 | +9% |
| Criminal damage | 4,202 | 5.5 | 6.8 | 0.80 | +5% |
| Public order offences | 4,095 | 5.3 | 7.0 | 0.77 | +12% |
| Shoplifting | 4,009 | 5.2 | 8.1 | 0.64 | – |
| Other theft offences | 2,733 | 3.6 | 6.5 | 0.54 | +2% |
| Vehicle offences | 1,833 | 2.4 | 5.0 | 0.47 | −13% |
| Other sexual offences | 1,625 | 2.1 | 2.3 | 0.93 | +12% |
| Miscellaneous crimes against society | 1,203 | 1.6 | 2.1 | 0.75 | +25% |
| Residential burglary | 1,117 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 0.58 | +7% |
| Possession of drugs | 1,022 | 1.3 | 2.5 | 0.53 | +17% |
| Rape | 792 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 0.85 | +15% |
| Non-residential burglary | 539 | 0.70 | 1.1 | 0.63 | −7% |
| Bicycle theft | 500 | 0.65 | 0.85 | 0.76 | +11% |
| Possession of weapons | 454 | 0.59 | 1.00 | 0.59 | +17% |
| Trafficking of drugs | 380 | 0.50 | 1.2 | 0.42 | +11% |
| Robbery of personal property | 238 | 0.31 | 0.91 | 0.34 | +31% |
| Theft from the person | 228 | 0.30 | 1.8 | 0.17 | +16% |
| Arson | 168 | 0.22 | 0.38 | 0.58 | +34% |
| Robbery of business property | 42 | 0.05 | 0.47 | 0.12 | – |
| Death or serious injury caused by unlawful driving | 10 | 0.01 | 0.03 | 0.37 | −17% |
| Homicide | 6 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.97 | +200% |
Recorded crime in the Wiltshire Police area 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. The Wiltshire Police area'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 | 43,053 | 56.1 | 83.2 |
| 2025 | 40,297 | 52.5 | 84.5 |
| 2024 | 40,728 | 53.1 | 86.2 |
| 2023 | 44,262 | 57.7 | 89.2 |
| 2022 | 41,694 | 54.3 | 85.4 |
| 2021 | 36,780 | 47.9 | 74.1 |
| 2020 | 43,636 | 56.8 | 84.7 |
| 2019 | 43,639 | 56.9 | 84.1 |
| 2018 | 43,770 | 57.0 | 78.2 |
| 2017 | 41,691 | 54.3 | 69.1 |
| 2016 | 38,038 | 49.6 | 62.3 |
| 2015 | 32,214 | 42.0 | 57.1 |
| 2014 | 32,829 | 42.8 | 55.9 |
| 2013 | 33,511 | 43.7 | 56.7 |
Districts in the Wiltshire Police area, the year ending March 2026
Of the 2 districts in the Wiltshire Police area with a figure for the year ending March 2026, Swindon had the highest rate (69.6 per 1,000) and Wiltshire the lowest (49.3).
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.
Every one of the 8 nearest police force areas has a higher crime rate than the Wiltshire Police area.
| Police force area | Crimes | Per 1,000 | Rate vs the Wiltshire Police area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avon and Somerset | 188,310 | 103.8 | +54% |
| Hampshire | 166,958 | 80.9 | +20% |
| Dorset | 57,002 | 71.3 | +6% |
| Thames Valley | 193,726 | 73.4 | +9% |
| Gwent | 71,512 | 118.9 | +77% |
| Surrey | 87,794 | 70.3 | +4% |
| South Wales | 126,013 | 92.4 | +37% |
| Warwickshire | 51,630 | 81.7 | +21% |
Of the 41,537 crimes in the Wiltshire Police area with a recorded outcome, 30% ended with the investigation complete and no suspect identified, against 35% across England and Wales; 4.4% were awaiting a court outcome (England and Wales: 5.2%). The 10,122 anti-social behaviour reports have no outcome and are left out.
| Outcome | Crimes | Share | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unable to prosecute suspect | 12,578 | 30.3% | 34.5% |
| Investigation complete; no suspect identified | 12,449 | 30.0% | 35.3% |
| Under investigation | 7,360 | 17.7% | 11.5% |
| Status update unavailable | 2,586 | 6.2% | 4.7% |
| Awaiting court outcome | 1,809 | 4.4% | 5.2% |
| Local resolution | 1,726 | 4.2% | 3.1% |
| Action to be taken by another organisation | 1,107 | 2.7% | 1.3% |
| Court result unavailable | 877 | 2.1% | 2.5% |
| Further investigation is not in the public interest | 564 | 1.4% | 0.5% |
| Offender given a caution | 232 | 0.6% | 0.6% |
| Further action is not in the public interest | 159 | 0.4% | 0.3% |
| Formal action is not in the public interest | 69 | 0.2% | 0.3% |
The Wiltshire Police area has an estimated population of 767,575 (ONS, mid-2024). Compared with England and Wales it has fewer students (5.0%, against 7.9%) and fewer households without a car (15%, against 23%). On the England IoD 2025, the small areas (LSOAs) that make up the Wiltshire Police area average decile 6.7 (1 = most deprived), less deprived than average.
| Measure | the Wiltshire Police area | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Aged 0 to 15 | 18.2% | 18.3% |
| Aged 65 and over | 20.8% | 18.9% |
| Residents 16+ in work | 61.1% | 57.2% |
| Residents 16+ unemployed | 2.6% | 3.4% |
| Residents 16+ retired | 23.2% | 21.6% |
| Residents 16+ who are students | 5.0% | 7.9% |
| Residents 16+ with Level 4 qualifications or above (degree, HND and similar) | 32.2% | 33.8% |
| Residents 16+ with no qualifications | 15.3% | 18.2% |
| Households with no car or van | 15.0% | 23.3% |
| Homes owned outright or with a mortgage | 67.1% | 62.5% |
| Social rented homes | 14.8% | 17.1% |
| Private rented homes | 18.0% | 20.3% |
| Average deprivation decile (1 = most deprived, 10 = least) | 6.7 | 5.5 (England) |
| Residents in the most deprived 10% of areas | 2.7% | 10.1% (England) |
Is the Wiltshire Police area a safe place to live?
The Wiltshire Police area recorded 67.3 crimes per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to August 2026, lower than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and ranks 40th of the 41 police force areas on this site by crime rate (1 = highest).
What is the most common crime in the Wiltshire Police area?
Violence and sexual offences was the most common category, with 19,738 reports in the 12 months to August 2026, followed by anti-social behaviour (10,122).
Is crime in the Wiltshire Police area going up or down?
Recorded crime in the Wiltshire Police area was almost unchanged on the year before: 51,659 crimes in the 12 months to August 2026 against 51,652 in the previous 12 months.
What is the population of the Wiltshire Police area?
About 767,575 people (ONS mid-2024 estimate), 21% of them aged 65 or over (England and Wales: 19%).
How many crimes did the police record in the Wiltshire Police area in the year ending March 2026?
43,053 crimes, excluding fraud, in the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics: 56.1 per 1,000 residents, against 83.2 across England and Wales. In the year ending March 2025 the figure was 40,297.
Which offences are more common in the Wiltshire Police area 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 (7,640).
Police-recorded crime from data.police.uk (September 2017 to August 2026), ONS population estimates and Census 2021. Definitions and limitations: methodology.