Crime in West Oxfordshire
Recorded crime in West Oxfordshire is 0.5 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has fallen 12%. Most of the harm comes from violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences). Police data to August 2026.
120,941 residents in 68 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 8/10Low crime
- Safety in the world
- 8/10Low crime
- Living
- 4.9/10Fair
- 5-year change
- −12%fewer crimes
Crime over 5 years
Down 12% in 5 years Recorded crimes in West Oxfordshire, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 0.5× the England and Wales average. 41 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 66% of the harm here
- Burglary: 15% of the harm here
- Other theft: 5% of the harm here
"Violence and sexual offences" is 66% of the harm here. It is a broad police category: most of these crimes are assaults without injury, harassment and threats, often indoors between people who know each other, and only a small part are sexual or serious violent offences. Police data does not say which, so each one is weighted at the England and Wales average for the category, which can overstate a quiet residential area.
Anti-social behaviour: 6.5 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, not scored. Not a crime, so it is not part of the Safety score.
Crime by type
Recorded crimes per 1,000 residents per year, most serious first, not counting anti-social behaviour.
| Type | Per 1,000 a year |
|---|---|
| Robbery | 0.2 |
| Burglary | 2.6 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 17.7 |
| Drugs | 1.1 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 0.3 |
| Other crime | 0.8 |
| Other theft | 4.1 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 0.5 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 2.7 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 4.4 |
| Public order | 3.1 |
| Bicycle theft | 0.5 |
| Shoplifting | 2.4 |
What crimes are recorded in West Oxfordshire
42.8 crimes per 1,000 residents were recorded in West Oxfordshire in 2025/26 (England and Wales: 83.2).
Our total for April 2025 to March 2026: 5,285. Home Office recorded crime: 5,179 (2% apart).
Crimes recorded by the police, April 2025 to March 2026. Source: Home Office, police recorded crime by community safety partnership.
| Type | Crimes in 2025/26 | Per 1,000 residents | Change on 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cars stolen | 67 | 0.55 | Down 9% |
| Cars broken into | 182 | 1.5 | Down 32% |
| Vehicle tampering | 29 | 0.24 | Down 33% |
| Vandalism to homes | 83 | 0.69 | Up 28% |
| Vandalism to other buildings | 52 | 0.43 | Down 22% |
| Vandalism to vehicles | 133 | 1.1 | Down 4% |
| Arson | 26 | 0.21 | Down 7% |
| Burglary of homes | 158 | 1.3 | Up 26% |
| Burglary of businesses | 61 | 0.50 | Down 16% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 0 | - | - |
| Carrying a knife or blade | 12 | 0.10 | About the same |
| Carrying other weapons (including guns) | 10 | 0.08 | Down 60% |
| Robbery of people | 18 | 0.15 | Down 5% |
| Robbery of businesses | 15 | 0.12 | Up 7% |
| Violence with injury | 593 | 4.9 | About the same |
| Violence without injury | 888 | 7.3 | Up 5% |
| Stalking and harassment | 802 | 6.6 | Up 17% |
| Sexual offences | 261 | 2.2 | Up 12% |
| Shoplifting | 389 | 3.2 | About the same |
| Bicycle theft | 38 | 0.31 | Up 46% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 31 | 0.26 | Down 3% |
| Drug dealing | 48 | 0.40 | Down 35% |
| Drug possession | 137 | 1.1 | Up 40% |
Under 10 a year: no rate or change, the numbers are too small to compare. These are council-area figures: police.uk street-level data, used for the map and the Safety score, only has the broad categories, and no source publishes murders or stabbings by street.
Thames Valley Police area: 920 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument in 2025/26 (1,005 the year before). This covers the whole police force area, not only West Oxfordshire.
Source: Home Office, police recorded knife crime by police force.
How often crimes lead to a charge
In West Oxfordshire, 5% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%).
- Charged or summonsed
- Caution or other action
- Suspect found, not prosecuted
- No suspect identified
- Still open
Show as a table
| Type | Crimes | Charged or summonsed | Caution or other action | Suspect found, not prosecuted | No suspect identified | Still open |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 2,616 | 4% | 10% | 69% | 8% | 10% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 487 | 3% | 3% | 28% | 59% | 6% |
| Public order | 415 | 3% | 5% | 58% | 29% | 5% |
| Other theft | 404 | 1% | 3% | 28% | 62% | 6% |
| Shoplifting | 386 | 18% | 5% | 17% | 56% | 3% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 354 | 1% | 0% | 8% | 88% | 2% |
| Burglary | 234 | 7% | 1% | 18% | 68% | 6% |
| Drugs | 144 | 7% | 47% | 13% | 24% | 9% |
| Other crime | 112 | 5% | 15% | 51% | 16% | 13% |
Uses the latest outcome police have recorded so far. 7% of these crimes are still open, so the final figures may be a little higher.
Towns and cities in West Oxfordshire
Postcode districts in West Oxfordshire
Questions about crime in West Oxfordshire
- Is West Oxfordshire a safe place to live?
- West Oxfordshire scores 8 out of 10 for safety (low crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Is crime going up or down in West Oxfordshire?
- Down 12% over 5 years, from 5,927 recorded crimes a year to 5,237.
- What is the most common crime in West Oxfordshire?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 18 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in West Oxfordshire?
- In West Oxfordshire, 5% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 32% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many burglaries are solved in West Oxfordshire?
- Of 234 burglaries reported in West Oxfordshire between September 2024 and August 2025, 7% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 68% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in West Oxfordshire?
- In West Oxfordshire, the police recorded 67 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 0.6 per 1,000 residents, down 9% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in West Oxfordshire?
- 268 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in West Oxfordshire in 2025/26, 2.2 per 1,000 residents, 0.5 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in West Oxfordshire last year?
- No homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in West Oxfordshire in 2025/26, against 0 the year before.