Crime in High Wycombe
Recorded crime in High Wycombe is 1.9 times the Buckinghamshire average and 1.2 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has fallen 9%. Most of the harm comes from violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences). Police data to August 2026.
Within 1.5 km of the centre of High Wycombe: about 31,350 residents in 25 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 3/10Above average crime
- Living
- 7.8/10Good
- 5-year change
- −9%fewer crimes
- vs the council
- 1.9×the Buckinghamshire average
Neighbourhoods by Safety
Within 1.5 km of the centre of High Wycombe.
Crime over 5 years
Down 9% in 5 years Recorded crimes within 1.5 km of High Wycombe, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 1.9× the Buckinghamshire average (1.2× the England and Wales average). 108 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 61% of the harm here
- Burglary: 10% of the harm here
- Robbery: 8% of the harm here
"Violence and sexual offences" is 61% 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: 15 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, not scored. Not a crime, so it is not part of the Safety score.
Crimes recorded in Buckinghamshire (the whole partnership area)
April 2025 to March 2026, for the whole Buckinghamshire partnership area, not only High Wycombe. Figures for the Aylesbury Vale, Chiltern, South Bucks and Wycombe community safety partnerships, which together cover Buckinghamshire. 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 | 757 | 1.3 | Down 10% |
| Cars broken into | 1,233 | 2.1 | Down 11% |
| Vandalism (homes, other buildings and vehicles) | 1,782 | 3.1 | Down 4% |
| Burglary of homes | 755 | 1.3 | Down 3% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 2 | - | - |
Under 10 a year: no rate or change, the numbers are too small to compare.
How often crimes lead to a charge in HP11
In HP11, the postcode district at the centre of High Wycombe, 12% 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) | 1,044 | 7% | 9% | 59% | 16% | 9% |
| Shoplifting | 699 | 27% | 4% | 11% | 58% | 1% |
| Other theft | 307 | 4% | 3% | 19% | 72% | 3% |
| Public order | 301 | 8% | 3% | 51% | 32% | 6% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 209 | 9% | 4% | 28% | 56% | 3% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 149 | 5% | 1% | 15% | 74% | 5% |
| Drugs | 124 | 19% | 65% | 7% | 6% | 2% |
| Burglary | 93 | 15% | 2% | 20% | 53% | 10% |
| Robbery | 68 | 16% | 1% | 29% | 50% | 3% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 59 | 2% | 0% | 22% | 73% | 3% |
Uses the latest outcome police have recorded so far. 5% of these crimes are still open, so the final figures may be a little higher.
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 | 1.5 |
| Burglary | 3.9 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 38.6 |
| Drugs | 4.7 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 1.2 |
| Other crime | 1.8 |
| Other theft | 12.7 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 2.7 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 7.3 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 8.7 |
| Public order | 10.1 |
| Bicycle theft | 1.5 |
| Shoplifting | 13.0 |
Postcode districts in High Wycombe
Nearby towns
Council: Buckinghamshire
Questions about crime in High Wycombe
- Is High Wycombe a safe place to live?
- High Wycombe scores 3 out of 10 for safety (above average crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Crime severity is 1.9 times the Buckinghamshire average.
- Is crime going up or down in High Wycombe?
- Down 9% over 5 years, from 3,819 recorded crimes a year to 3,486.
- What is the most common crime in High Wycombe?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 39 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How does crime in High Wycombe compare with Buckinghamshire?
- Crime severity in High Wycombe is 1.9 times the Buckinghamshire average.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in High Wycombe?
- In HP11, the postcode district at the centre of High Wycombe, 12% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 40% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many burglaries are solved in High Wycombe?
- Of 93 burglaries reported in HP11, the postcode district at the centre of High Wycombe between September 2024 and August 2025, 15% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 53% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in High Wycombe?
- In 2025/26, in the Aylesbury Vale, Chiltern, South Bucks and Wycombe partnership area, which includes High Wycombe, the police recorded 757 cars stolen (April 2025 to March 2026), 1.3 per 1,000 residents, down 10% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in High Wycombe?
- 1,782 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in 2025/26, in the Aylesbury Vale, Chiltern, South Bucks and Wycombe partnership area, which includes High Wycombe, 3.1 per 1,000 residents, 0.6 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in High Wycombe last year?
- 2 homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in 2025/26, in the Aylesbury Vale, Chiltern, South Bucks and Wycombe partnership area, which includes High Wycombe, against 2 the year before. Police data does not say where in the area they happened.