Crime in Wantage
Recorded crime in Wantage is 1.2 times the Vale of White Horse average and 0.6 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has fallen 13%. 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 Wantage: about 13,270 residents in 12 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 7/10Low crime
- Living
- 5.5/10Fair
- 5-year change
- −13%fewer crimes
- vs the council
- 1.2×the Vale of White Horse average
Neighbourhoods by Safety
Within 1.5 km of the centre of Wantage.
Crime over 5 years
Down 13% in 5 years Recorded crimes within 1.5 km of Wantage, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 1.2× the Vale of White Horse average (0.6× the England and Wales average). 51 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 71% of the harm here
- Burglary: 10% of the harm here
- Other theft: 4% of the harm here
"Violence and sexual offences" is 71% 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: 11 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, not scored. Not a crime, so it is not part of the Safety score.
Crimes recorded in Vale of White Horse (the whole council area)
April 2025 to March 2026, for the whole Vale of White Horse council area, not only Wantage. 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 | 86 | 0.58 | Up 25% |
| Cars broken into | 141 | 0.94 | Down 23% |
| Vandalism (homes, other buildings and vehicles) | 384 | 2.6 | Down 14% |
| Burglary of homes | 128 | 0.86 | Down 2% |
| 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 OX12
In OX12, the postcode district at the centre of Wantage, 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) | 796 | 6% | 12% | 64% | 9% | 9% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 172 | 3% | 10% | 25% | 59% | 3% |
| Shoplifting | 165 | 14% | 5% | 8% | 70% | 2% |
| Public order | 162 | 2% | 5% | 60% | 28% | 5% |
| Other theft | 93 | 3% | 2% | 23% | 57% | 15% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 61 | 0% | 2% | 15% | 77% | 7% |
| Burglary | 53 | 4% | 2% | 21% | 57% | 17% |
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 | 0.3 |
| Burglary | 1.9 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 22.2 |
| Drugs | 1.7 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 0.4 |
| Other crime | 0.9 |
| Other theft | 3.7 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 0.7 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 2.4 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 6.8 |
| Public order | 4.8 |
| Bicycle theft | 0.6 |
| Shoplifting | 4.0 |
Postcode districts in Wantage
Nearby towns
Council: Vale of White Horse
Questions about crime in Wantage
- Is Wantage a safe place to live?
- Wantage scores 7 out of 10 for safety (low crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Crime severity is 1.2 times the Vale of White Horse average.
- Is crime going up or down in Wantage?
- Down 13% over 5 years, from 814 recorded crimes a year to 705.
- What is the most common crime in Wantage?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 22 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How does crime in Wantage compare with Vale of White Horse?
- Crime severity in Wantage is 1.2 times the Vale of White Horse average.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Wantage?
- In OX12, the postcode district at the centre of Wantage, 6% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 30% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many burglaries are solved in Wantage?
- Of 53 burglaries reported in OX12, the postcode district at the centre of Wantage between September 2024 and August 2025, 4% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 57% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Wantage?
- In Vale of White Horse, the council area Wantage is in, the police recorded 86 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 0.6 per 1,000 residents, up 25% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Wantage?
- 384 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in 2025/26, in Vale of White Horse, the council area Wantage is in, 2.6 per 1,000 residents, 0.5 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Wantage last year?
- 2 homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in 2025/26, in Vale of White Horse, the council area Wantage is in, against 2 the year before. Police data does not say where in the area they happened.