Crime in Woburn Sands
Recorded crime in Woburn Sands is 0.8 times the Central Bedfordshire average and 0.5 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has risen 2%. 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 Woburn Sands: about 6,275 residents in 7 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 8/10Low crime
- Living
- 6.8/10Good
- 5-year change
- +2%more crimes
- vs the council
- 0.8×the Central Bedfordshire average
Neighbourhoods by Safety
Within 1.5 km of the centre of Woburn Sands.
Crime over 5 years
Up 2% in 5 years Recorded crimes within 1.5 km of Woburn Sands, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 0.8× the Central Bedfordshire average (0.5× the England and Wales average). 35 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 52% of the harm here
- Burglary: 27% of the harm here
- Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into): 6% of the harm here
Anti-social behaviour: 6.9 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, not scored. Not a crime, so it is not part of the Safety score.
Crimes recorded in Central Bedfordshire (the whole council area)
April 2025 to March 2026, for the whole Central Bedfordshire council area, not only Woburn Sands. 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 | 448 | 1.4 | Down 18% |
| Cars broken into | 655 | 2.1 | Down 10% |
| Vandalism (homes, other buildings and vehicles) | 895 | 2.8 | Down 2% |
| Burglary of homes | 283 | 0.90 | Down 11% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 0 | - | - |
Under 10 a year: no rate or change, the numbers are too small to compare.
How often crimes lead to a charge in MK17
In MK17, the postcode district at the centre of Woburn Sands, 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) | 641 | 7% | 10% | 67% | 8% | 7% |
| Other theft | 135 | 1% | 4% | 24% | 67% | 4% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 129 | 1% | 0% | 16% | 83% | 1% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 115 | 2% | 9% | 38% | 50% | 2% |
| Public order | 95 | 5% | 6% | 57% | 27% | 4% |
| Burglary | 79 | 4% | 0% | 10% | 84% | 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.
Road collisions
Central Bedfordshire, 2023 to 2025: 521 road collisions a year with someone hurt, 122 of them with someone killed or seriously injured. 25 collisions were fatal in those 3 years.
1.7 a year per 1,000 residents (Great Britain 1.5). 23% of them killed or seriously injured someone (Great Britain 26%).
Collisions on public roads that the police recorded where someone was hurt, counted where they happened, so busy through roads and town centres with few residents come out high. Serious and slight use the Department for Transport's adjusted severity, comparable between police forces. Source: Department for Transport road casualty statistics (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
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 | 4.1 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 12.3 |
| Drugs | 0.7 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 0.3 |
| Other crime | 0.5 |
| Other theft | 3.3 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 0.3 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 5.8 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 3.3 |
| Public order | 2.3 |
| Bicycle theft | 0.2 |
| Shoplifting | 1.7 |
Postcode districts in Woburn Sands
Nearby towns
Council: Central Bedfordshire
Embed this on your site: a free live safety card for Woburn Sands.
Questions about crime in Woburn Sands
- Is Woburn Sands a safe place to live?
- Woburn Sands scores 8 out of 10 for safety (low crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Crime severity is 0.8 times the Central Bedfordshire average.
- Is crime going up or down in Woburn Sands?
- Up 2% over 5 years, from 236 recorded crimes a year to 240.
- What is the most common crime in Woburn Sands?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 12 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How does crime in Woburn Sands compare with Central Bedfordshire?
- Crime severity in Woburn Sands is 0.8 times the Central Bedfordshire average.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Woburn Sands?
- In MK17, the postcode district at the centre of Woburn Sands, 6% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 34% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many burglaries are solved in Woburn Sands?
- Of 79 burglaries reported in MK17, the postcode district at the centre of Woburn Sands between September 2024 and August 2025, 4% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 84% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Woburn Sands?
- In Central Bedfordshire, the council area Woburn Sands is in, the police recorded 448 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 1.4 per 1,000 residents, down 18% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Woburn Sands?
- 895 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in 2025/26, in Central Bedfordshire, the council area Woburn Sands is in, 2.8 per 1,000 residents, 0.6 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Woburn Sands last year?
- No homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in 2025/26, in Central Bedfordshire, the council area Woburn Sands is in, against 3 the year before.