Oswestry Crime Overview

Oswestry is the most dangerous small town in Shropshire, and is among the top 20 most dangerous overall out of Shropshire's 232 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Oswestry in 2020 was 69 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares poorly to Shropshire's overall crime rate, coming in 16% higher than the Shropshire rate of 58 per 1,000 residents. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Oswestry is the 205th most dangerous small town, and the 1,488th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.

In February 2020, Oswestry had the worst crime rate in Shropshire for theft from the person, with 6 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.33 per 1,000 inhabitants. October 2016 was also a bad month for Oswestry residents, when it was Shropshire's most dangerous area for possession of weapons, recording 4 crimes at a rate of 0.22 per 1,000 residents.

The most common crimes in Oswestry are violence and sexual offences, with 583 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 32. This is 6% lower than 2019's figure of 620 offences and a difference of 2.03 from 2019's crime rate of 34. Oswestry's least common crime is bicycle theft, with 6 offences recorded in 2020, the same as 2019's figure of 6 crimes.

Compare Oswestry to other towns and cities

See how Oswestry shapes up compared to other locations around the country, including side-by-side comparisons of specific crime types, and separate charting of how Oswestry and your comparison town's crime rates stack up against one another.

Oswestry Crime Map

Click to use map

Crime in Oswestry Compared To Shropshire

Are you researching crime in Oswestry, or have a general question? Please contact our team. We offer free consultation on basic requests. This content is licensed CC BY-ND 4.0. When referencing or citing CrimeRate data or content on third-party sites, we require attribution to the source page on crimerate.co.uk
Creative Commons logo

Summary of Crimes in Oswestry This Year

 OswestryShropshire 
CrimeCountRateCountRateRate Difference
Anti-Social Behaviour41122.5610,74621.345% more dangerous
Bicycle Theft60.332180.4330% safer
Burglary382.091,9283.8383% safer
Criminal Damage and Arson1679.173,2876.5329% more dangerous
Drugs402.209451.8815% more dangerous
Other Crime261.435981.1917% more dangerous
Other Theft1226.702,2764.5233% more dangerous
Possession of Weapons150.823640.7212% more dangerous
Public Order663.621,7683.513.0% more dangerous
Robbery80.441980.3911% more dangerous
Shoplifting1297.082,0174.0143% more dangerous
Theft From the Person140.771590.3258% more dangerous
Vehicle Crime382.091,3392.6627% safer
Violence and Sexual Offences58332.0013,88627.5814% more dangerous

Oswestry Compared to Nearby Small Towns

Small TownTotal CrimesCrime RateRate Difference
Market Drayton74160.1114% safer
Great Dawley73961.2412% safer
Ludlow63561.8211% safer
Stirchley and Brookside71868.070.97% safer
Lawley and Overdale73968.570.23% safer
Oswestry1,25268.73-

Crime Over Time in Oswestry

View crime percentage over time for

Recent Crimes in Oswestry

DateCrime TypeLocationOutcome
November 2021Theft from the personOn or near NightclubInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near NightclubUnable to prosecute suspect
November 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near NightclubUnable to prosecute suspect
November 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Parking AreaUnable to prosecute suspect
November 2021Criminal damage and arsonOn or near Welsh WallsUnable to prosecute suspect
November 2021BurglaryOn or near Arundel RoadInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021Other theftOn or near Laburnum DriveInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021Other theftOn or near Church StreetInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near New Park RoadUnable to prosecute suspect
November 2021Vehicle crimeOn or near Edward StreetUnable to prosecute suspect
November 2021Public orderOn or near Whittington RoadUnable to prosecute suspect
November 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Whittington RoadUnable to prosecute suspect
November 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Holly GreenAction to be taken by another organisation
November 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Holly GreenAction to be taken by another organisation
November 2021BurglaryOn or near Leg StreetUnable to prosecute suspect
November 2021Criminal damage and arsonOn or near Arthur StreetUnable to prosecute suspect
November 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Oakhurst AvenueUnable to prosecute suspect
November 2021ShopliftingOn or near Cross StreetInvestigation complete; no suspect identified
November 2021ShopliftingOn or near Cross StreetUnable to prosecute suspect
November 2021Violence and sexual offencesOn or near Morda RoadUnable to prosecute suspect

Oswestry Crime Trends

 Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents 
Crime2017201820192020Trend
Anti-Social Behaviour44443523Safer
Bicycle Theft1.40.440.330.33Safer
Burglary3.953.42.1Safer
Criminal Damage and Arson111199Safer
Drugs1.91.71.72.2Getting worse
Other Crime1.21.41.31.4Getting worse
Other Theft6887Safer
Possession of Weapons0.490.550.930.82Getting worse
Public Order2.22.43.83.6Getting worse
Robbery (inc. mugging)0.820.270.330.44Safer
Shoplifting1311107Safer
Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing)0.931.11.20.77Safer
Vehicle Crime4.173.12.1Safer
Violence and Sexual Offences24303432Getting worse

Changes In Oswestry's Crime Rates Over Time

Comparing Oswestry to the UK's Major Cities

Small TownCrime RateRate Difference
Barnet67.711.5% safer
Oswestry68.73-
Coventry77.4111% more dangerous
Croydon83.2217% more dangerous
Sheffield85.8120% more dangerous
Bristol86.2120% more dangerous
Leicester97.4429% more dangerous
Birmingham102.8733% more dangerous
Liverpool107.2836% more dangerous
Bradford133.0248% more dangerous
Leeds137.1050% more dangerous

Crime in Oswestry's Neighbourhoods

NeighbourhoodCrime CountCrime RateDanger Rank
Oswestry East53252Second
Oswestry West78279First

Crime in Oswestry During Coronavirus Lockdowns

Looking at the months the UK was in lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19, how did crime rates in Oswestry change compared to the same month in 2019? The biggest increase in lockdown crime came in May, when Oswestry saw a 400% increase in public order. Oswestry saw a large fall in burglary during May, when it fell by 83% compared to May in 2019.

CrimeMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Anti-Social Behaviour+33%+70%+36%+56%------
Bicycle Theft-----+100%----
Burglary-75%--83%--17%-40%-70%-67%--
Criminal Damage and Arson-20%-61%-23%-17%+108%+10%+38%+44%-26%-
Drugs-60%-60%+33%-+100%-50%--+100%+33%
Other Crime--+100%-+50%---25%-80%-
Other Theft-8%-31%-56%-29%-73%-62%+29%--27%+86%
Possession of Weapons+100%--67%-50%+100%---75%--
Public Order+67%-71%+400%-33%-22%-57%-80%+25%+43%-
Robbery-----+100%----
Shoplifting-27%-77%-69%-33%-19%+13%+67%-22%-57%+11%
Theft From the Person-67%--50%------75%-
Vehicle Crime-11%-40%-33%+100%-60%-50%--33%+300%-
Violence and Sexual Offences-42%-41%-+14%+25%+3%-19%+25%-18%-45%

Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in Oswestry

What police force serves Oswestry?
Oswestry's local territorial police force is the West Mercia Police.
How dangerous is Oswestry?
Oswestry is the most dangerous small town in Shropshire.
What is Oswestry's most common crime?
The most common crimes in Oswestry are violence and sexual offences.
What is the least common crime in Oswestry?
Oswestry's least common crime is bicycle theft.

Last updated: 31 Dec 2021