Witney Crime Overview
Witney is the safest medium-sized town in Oxfordshire, and is the 57th most dangerous overall out of Oxfordshire's 322 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Witney in 2020 was 52 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares favourably to Oxfordshire's overall crime rate, coming in 14% lower than the Oxfordshire rate of 59 per 1,000 residents. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Witney is the 44th safest medium-sized town, and the 2,859th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In February 2020, Witney was the worst medium-sized town in Oxfordshire for bicycle theft, with 6 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.21 per 1,000 inhabitants. November 2019 was also a bad month for Witney residents, when it was Oxfordshire's most dangerous medium-sized town for robbery, recording 3 crimes at a rate of 0.10 per 1,000 residents. Witney recorded 3 reports of theft from the person during January 2019, making its crime rate of 0.10 the worst medium-sized town for theft from the person in Oxfordshire that month.
The most common crimes in Witney are violence and sexual offences, with 671 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 23. This is 12% higher than 2019's figure of 589 offences and a difference of 2.83 from 2019's crime rate of 20. Witney's least common crime is robbery, with 6 offences recorded in 2020, a decrease of 100% from 2019's figure of 12 crimes.
Compare Witney to other towns and cities
See how Witney shapes up compared to other locations around the country, including side-by-side comparisons of specific crime types, and separate charting of how Witney and your comparison town's crime rates stack up against one another.
Witney Crime Map
Summary of Crimes in Witney This Year
| Witney | Oxfordshire | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | Count | Rate | Count | Rate | Rate Difference |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 394 | 13.60 | 6,391 | 9.24 | 32% more dangerous |
| Bicycle Theft | 29 | 1.00 | 1,471 | 2.13 | 113% safer |
| Burglary | 53 | 1.83 | 2,188 | 3.16 | 73% safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 198 | 6.83 | 4,246 | 6.14 | 10% more dangerous |
| Drugs | 73 | 2.52 | 1,822 | 2.63 | 4.4% safer |
| Other Crime | 26 | 0.90 | 873 | 1.26 | 40% safer |
| Other Theft | 101 | 3.49 | 3,390 | 4.90 | 40% safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 19 | 0.66 | 465 | 0.67 | 1.5% safer |
| Public Order | 114 | 3.93 | 3,237 | 4.68 | 19% safer |
| Robbery | 6 | 0.21 | 250 | 0.36 | 71% safer |
| Shoplifting | 126 | 4.35 | 2,866 | 4.14 | 4.8% more dangerous |
| Theft From the Person | 29 | 1.00 | 673 | 0.97 | 3.0% more dangerous |
| Vehicle Crime | 53 | 1.83 | 2,908 | 4.20 | 130% safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 671 | 23.16 | 16,291 | 23.55 | 1.7% safer |
Crime in Witney Compared To Oxfordshire
Witney Crime Trends
| Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Trend |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 15 | 12 | 14 | 14 | Safer |
| Bicycle Theft | 1.7 | 2.1 | 0.97 | 1.0 | Safer |
| Burglary | 2.8 | 2.5 | 2.1 | 1.8 | Safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | Getting worse |
| Drugs | 1.3 | 1.9 | 2.4 | 2.5 | Getting worse |
| Other Crime | 0.45 | 0.76 | 0.93 | 0.90 | Getting worse |
| Other Theft | 6 | 5 | 5 | 3.5 | Safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 0.21 | 0.48 | 0.35 | 0.66 | Getting worse |
| Public Order | 1.2 | 1.7 | 2.1 | 3.9 | Getting worse |
| Robbery (inc. mugging) | 0.14 | 0.59 | 0.41 | 0.21 | Safer |
| Shoplifting | 7 | 4.4 | 5 | 4.4 | Safer |
| Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing) | 1.5 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.0 | Safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 2.1 | 1.8 | 2.8 | 1.8 | Safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 14 | 17 | 20 | 23 | Getting worse |
Changes In Witney's Crime Rates Over Time
Comparing Witney to the UK's Major Cities
| Medium-Sized Town | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Witney | 51.70 | - |
| Barnet | 67.71 | 24% more dangerous |
| Coventry | 77.41 | 33% more dangerous |
| Croydon | 83.22 | 38% more dangerous |
| Sheffield | 85.81 | 40% more dangerous |
| Bristol | 86.21 | 40% more dangerous |
| Leicester | 97.44 | 47% more dangerous |
| Birmingham | 102.87 | 50% more dangerous |
| Liverpool | 107.28 | 52% more dangerous |
| Bradford | 133.02 | 61% more dangerous |
| Leeds | 137.10 | 62% more dangerous |
Crime in Witney's Neighbourhoods
| Neighbourhood | Crime Count | Crime Rate | Danger Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Witney Central | 838 | 78 | First |
| Witney East | 419 | 35 | Third |
| Witney West | 241 | 39 | Second |
Crime in Witney During Coronavirus Lockdowns
Looking at the months the UK was in lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19, how did crime rates in Witney change compared to the same month in 2019? The biggest increase in lockdown crime came in August, when Witney saw a 700% increase in public order. Witney saw a large fall in vehicle crime during April, when it fell by 93% compared to April in 2019.
| Crime | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | -49% | -51% | -20% | -6% | -43% | +2% | -18% | -9% | +57% | -9% |
| Bicycle Theft | - | -50% | - | - | +50% | -25% | -33% | -43% | - | - |
| Burglary | - | - | +25% | +200% | +67% | -43% | -50% | -38% | +67% | - |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | -13% | +13% | -29% | -18% | +29% | +5% | -14% | +43% | +8% | -36% |
| Drugs | +25% | -36% | +50% | -38% | +25% | -40% | +167% | -60% | +14% | +43% |
| Other Crime | - | -25% | - | -50% | +50% | -50% | -67% | - | - | +250% |
| Other Theft | -78% | -11% | -67% | -73% | -20% | +83% | -19% | -9% | +14% | -20% |
| Possession of Weapons | -50% | - | - | - | +100% | - | - | - | +100% | +100% |
| Public Order | +100% | - | +50% | +325% | +140% | +700% | -25% | +133% | +10% | +50% |
| Robbery | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Shoplifting | -30% | -67% | -67% | -21% | -43% | - | -45% | +233% | -27% | +120% |
| Theft From the Person | -50% | -67% | -50% | - | +200% | - | +100% | +150% | -20% | -80% |
| Vehicle Crime | -14% | -93% | -73% | +67% | +20% | -22% | - | -33% | -13% | +17% |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | -31% | -23% | +33% | +63% | -12% | +74% | +9% | - | +23% | +14% |
Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in Witney
What police force serves Witney?
Witney's local territorial police force is the Thames Valley Police.How dangerous is Witney?
Witney is the safest medium-sized town in Oxfordshire.What is Witney's most common crime?
The most common crimes in Witney are violence and sexual offences.What is the least common crime in Witney?
Witney's least common crime is robbery (inc. mugging).Last updated: 01 Apr 2021