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 October 2020, Witney was the worst medium-sized town in Oxfordshire for bicycle theft, with 4 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.14 per 1,000 inhabitants. July 2020 was also a bad month for Witney residents, when it was Oxfordshire's most dangerous medium-sized town for theft from the person, recording 6 crimes at a rate of 0.21 per 1,000 residents. Witney recorded 3 reports of robbery during November 2019, making its crime rate of 0.10 the worst medium-sized town for robbery 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

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Crime in Witney Compared To Oxfordshire

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Summary of Crimes in Witney This Year

 WitneyOxfordshire 
CrimeCountRateCountRateRate Difference
Anti-Social Behaviour39413.606,3919.2432% more dangerous
Bicycle Theft291.001,4712.13113% safer
Burglary531.832,1883.1673% safer
Criminal Damage and Arson1986.834,2466.1410% more dangerous
Drugs732.521,8222.634.4% safer
Other Crime260.908731.2640% safer
Other Theft1013.493,3904.9040% safer
Possession of Weapons190.664650.671.5% safer
Public Order1143.933,2374.6819% safer
Robbery60.212500.3671% safer
Shoplifting1264.352,8664.144.8% more dangerous
Theft From the Person291.006730.973.0% more dangerous
Vehicle Crime531.832,9084.20130% safer
Violence and Sexual Offences67123.1616,29123.551.7% safer

Witney Compared to Nearby Medium-Sized Towns

Medium-Sized TownTotal CrimesCrime RateRate Difference
Witney1,49851.70-
Abingdon2,05959.5913% more dangerous
Didcot1,66060.5315% more dangerous
Bicester2,09968.5525% more dangerous
Banbury4,33490.4543% more dangerous

Crime Over Time in Witney

View crime percentage over time for

Recent Crimes in Witney

DateCrime TypeLocationOutcome
October 2021Bicycle theftOn or near Church GreenInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
October 2021Criminal damage and arsonOn or near Church GreenInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
October 2021Vehicle crimeOn or near Oxford HillInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
October 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Holford RoadInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
October 2021Other theftOn or near Harvest WayInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
October 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Harvest WayUnable to prosecute suspect
October 2021Criminal damage and arsonOn or near Wychwood CloseUnable to prosecute suspect
October 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Wychwood CloseUnable to prosecute suspect
October 2021Vehicle crimeOn or near Woodgreen HillInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
October 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Burwell MeadowUnable to prosecute suspect
October 2021Other theftOn or near Wilmot CloseUnable to prosecute suspect
October 2021Public orderOn or near Ashcombe CrescentInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
October 2021Public orderOn or near SupermarketInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
October 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near SupermarketInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
October 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Farmington DriveUnable to prosecute suspect
October 2021BurglaryOn or near Gordon WayInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
October 2021Public orderOn or near SupermarketInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
October 2021Theft from the personOn or near SupermarketInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
October 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Northfield RowUnable to prosecute suspect
October 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Eastfield RoadUnable to prosecute suspect

Witney Crime Trends

 Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents 
Crime2017201820192020Trend
Anti-Social Behaviour15121414Safer
Bicycle Theft1.72.10.971.0Safer
Burglary2.82.52.11.8Safer
Criminal Damage and Arson7777Getting worse
Drugs1.31.92.42.5Getting worse
Other Crime0.450.760.930.90Getting worse
Other Theft6553.5Safer
Possession of Weapons0.210.480.350.66Getting worse
Public Order1.21.72.13.9Getting worse
Robbery (inc. mugging)0.140.590.410.21Safer
Shoplifting74.454.4Safer
Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing)1.51.11.11.0Safer
Vehicle Crime2.11.82.81.8Safer
Violence and Sexual Offences14172023Getting worse

Changes In Witney's Crime Rates Over Time

Offences in Witney's Green Spaces

We only display green spaces in Witney that are named, and have had crimes recorded within their boundaries during 2020.

NameASBDrugsPublic OrderRobberyVSOAll OthersCrimes per Hectare
Burwell Fields2---100.66
King George's Field-----20.78

Comparing Witney to the UK's Major Cities

Medium-Sized TownCrime RateRate Difference
Witney51.70-
Barnet67.7124% more dangerous
Coventry77.4133% more dangerous
Croydon83.2238% more dangerous
Sheffield85.8140% more dangerous
Bristol86.2140% more dangerous
Leicester97.4447% more dangerous
Birmingham102.8750% more dangerous
Liverpool107.2852% more dangerous
Bradford133.0261% more dangerous
Leeds137.1062% more dangerous

Crime in Witney's Neighbourhoods

NeighbourhoodCrime CountCrime RateDanger Rank
Witney Central83878First
Witney East41935Third
Witney West24139Second

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.

CrimeMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
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: 26 Nov 2021