Crime in Malmesbury
Recorded crime in Malmesbury is 0.7 times the Wiltshire average and 0.4 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has risen 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 Malmesbury: about 7,362 residents in 4 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 9/10Very low crime
- Living
- 6.9/10Good
- 5-year change
- +9%more crimes
- vs the council
- 0.7×the Wiltshire average
Neighbourhoods by Safety
Within 1.5 km of the centre of Malmesbury.
Crime over 5 years
Up 9% in 5 years Recorded crimes within 1.5 km of Malmesbury, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 0.7× the Wiltshire average (0.4× the England and Wales average). 35 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 69% of the harm here
- Burglary: 13% of the harm here
- Other theft: 5% of the harm here
"Violence and sexual offences" is 69% 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: 10 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, not scored. Not a crime, so it is not part of the Safety score.
Crimes recorded in Wiltshire (the whole council area)
April 2025 to March 2026, for the whole Wiltshire council area, not only Malmesbury. 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 | 348 | 0.66 | Down 11% |
| Cars broken into | 528 | 1.0 | Down 20% |
| Vandalism (homes, other buildings and vehicles) | 1,824 | 3.5 | Up 2% |
| Burglary of homes | 394 | 0.75 | Down 9% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 4 | - | - |
Under 10 a year: no rate or change, the numbers are too small to compare.
How often crimes lead to a charge in SN16
In SN16, the postcode district at the centre of Malmesbury, 6% 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) | 189 | 7% | 13% | 62% | 11% | 7% |
Uses the latest outcome police have recorded so far. 8% 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 | 0.1 |
| Burglary | 1.7 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 14.5 |
| Drugs | 0.7 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 0.3 |
| Other crime | 0.7 |
| Other theft | 3.3 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 0.3 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 2.2 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 5.4 |
| Public order | 2.6 |
| Bicycle theft | 0.2 |
| Shoplifting | 3.4 |
Postcode districts in Malmesbury
Nearby towns
Council: Wiltshire
Questions about crime in Malmesbury
- Is Malmesbury a safe place to live?
- Malmesbury scores 9 out of 10 for safety (very low crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Crime severity is 0.7 times the Wiltshire average.
- Is crime going up or down in Malmesbury?
- Up 9% over 5 years, from 265 recorded crimes a year to 289.
- What is the most common crime in Malmesbury?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 14 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How does crime in Malmesbury compare with Wiltshire?
- Crime severity in Malmesbury is 0.7 times the Wiltshire average.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Malmesbury?
- In SN16, the postcode district at the centre of Malmesbury, 6% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 36% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Malmesbury?
- In Wiltshire, the council area Malmesbury is in, the police recorded 348 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 0.7 per 1,000 residents, down 11% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Malmesbury?
- 1,824 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in 2025/26, in Wiltshire, the council area Malmesbury is in, 3.5 per 1,000 residents, 0.7 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Malmesbury last year?
- 4 homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in 2025/26, in Wiltshire, the council area Malmesbury is in, against 1 the year before. Police data does not say where in the area they happened.