Amesbury Crime Overview
Amesbury is among the top 5 most dangerous small towns in Wiltshire, and is the 37th most dangerous overall out of Wiltshire's 276 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Amesbury in 2020 was 56 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares poorly to Wiltshire's overall crime rate, coming in 6% higher than the Wiltshire rate of 52 per 1,000 residents. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Amesbury is the 378th most dangerous small town, and the 2,456th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In September 2020, Amesbury was the worst small town in Wiltshire for drugs, with 4 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.32 per 1,000 inhabitants. December 2020 was also a bad month for Amesbury residents, when it was Wiltshire's most dangerous small town for bicycle theft, recording 1 crime at a rate of 0.08 per 1,000 residents. Amesbury recorded 3 reports of other crime during December 2020, making its crime rate of 0.24 the worst small town for other crime in Wiltshire that month.
The most common crimes in Amesbury are violence and sexual offences, with 313 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 25. This is 30% lower than 2019's figure of 407 offences and a difference of 7.60 from 2019's crime rate of 33. Amesbury's least common crime is robbery, with 1 offence recorded in 2020.
Compare Amesbury to other towns and cities
See how Amesbury shapes up compared to other locations around the country, including side-by-side comparisons of specific crime types, and separate charting of how Amesbury and your comparison town's crime rates stack up against one another.
Amesbury Crime Map
Summary of Crimes in Amesbury This Year
| Amesbury | Wiltshire | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | Count | Rate | Count | Rate | Rate Difference |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 332 | 26.87 | 14,474 | 20.06 | 25% more dangerous |
| Bicycle Theft | 7 | 0.57 | 526 | 0.73 | 28% safer |
| Burglary | 12 | 0.97 | 1,947 | 2.70 | 178% safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 97 | 7.85 | 4,907 | 6.80 | 13% more dangerous |
| Drugs | 36 | 2.91 | 1,534 | 2.13 | 27% more dangerous |
| Other Crime | 20 | 1.62 | 831 | 1.15 | 29% more dangerous |
| Other Theft | 53 | 4.29 | 2,830 | 3.92 | 9% more dangerous |
| Possession of Weapons | 5 | 0.40 | 293 | 0.41 | 2.5% safer |
| Public Order | 87 | 7.04 | 3,362 | 4.66 | 34% more dangerous |
| Robbery | 1 | 0.08 | 253 | 0.35 | 338% safer |
| Shoplifting | 40 | 3.24 | 2,458 | 3.41 | 5% safer |
| Theft From the Person | 2 | 0.16 | 205 | 0.28 | 75% safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 16 | 1.30 | 2,186 | 3.03 | 133% safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 313 | 25.34 | 16,322 | 22.62 | 11% more dangerous |
Crime in Amesbury Compared To Wiltshire
Amesbury Compared to Nearby Small Towns
| Small Town | Total Crimes | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calne | 795 | 43.19 | 29% safer |
| Highworth | 347 | 43.27 | 29% safer |
| Laverstock | 393 | 43.97 | 27% safer |
| Westbury | 702 | 44.51 | 25% safer |
| Wootton Bassett | 604 | 45.95 | 21% safer |
| Amesbury | 689 | 55.77 | - |
| Warminster | 1,038 | 58.24 | 4.2% more dangerous |
| Melksham | 1,064 | 70.90 | 21% more dangerous |
| Devizes | 988 | 84.95 | 34% more dangerous |
Amesbury Crime Trends
| Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Trend |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 22 | 26 | 28 | 27 | Getting worse |
| Bicycle Theft | 0.32 | 0.89 | 0.40 | 0.57 | Getting worse |
| Burglary | 2.8 | 2.8 | 2.4 | 0.97 | Safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 7 | 9 | 9 | 8 | Safer |
| Drugs | 2.6 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 2.9 | Getting worse |
| Other Crime | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 1.6 | Getting worse |
| Other Theft | 7 | 7 | 7 | 4.3 | Safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 0.24 | 0.49 | 0.65 | 0.40 | Safer |
| Public Order | 2.4 | 4.0 | 4.8 | 7 | Getting worse |
| Robbery (inc. mugging) | 0.08 | 0.08 | - | 0.08 | No change |
| Shoplifting | 4.1 | 4.0 | 8 | 3.2 | Safer |
| Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing) | 0.32 | 0.24 | 1.9 | 0.16 | Safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 3.3 | 3.2 | 2.7 | 1.3 | Safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 24 | 28 | 33 | 25 | Safer |
Changes In Amesbury's Crime Rates Over Time
Comparing Amesbury to the UK's Major Cities
| Small Town | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Amesbury | 55.77 | - |
| Barnet | 67.71 | 18% more dangerous |
| Coventry | 77.41 | 28% more dangerous |
| Croydon | 83.22 | 33% more dangerous |
| Sheffield | 85.81 | 35% more dangerous |
| Bristol | 86.21 | 35% more dangerous |
| Leicester | 97.44 | 43% more dangerous |
| Birmingham | 102.87 | 46% more dangerous |
| Liverpool | 107.28 | 48% more dangerous |
| Bradford | 133.02 | 58% more dangerous |
| Leeds | 137.10 | 59% more dangerous |
Crime in Amesbury's Neighbourhoods
| Neighbourhood | Crime Count | Crime Rate | Danger Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amesbury | 689 | 56 | First |
Crime in Amesbury During Coronavirus Lockdowns
Looking at the months the UK was in lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19, how did crime rates in Amesbury change compared to the same month in 2019? The biggest increase in lockdown crime came in September, when Amesbury saw a 200% increase in burglary. Amesbury saw a large fall in shoplifting during October, when it fell by 88% compared to October in 2019. Shoplifting saw a fall in every month of Amesbury's lockdown.
| Crime | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | -33% | -3% | -18% | -18% | +48% | +29% | +13% | +56% | +12% | +10% |
| Bicycle Theft | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | -50% | - | -50% |
| Burglary | - | -75% | -67% | -71% | - | - | +200% | - | -50% | -50% |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | +80% | - | -57% | -22% | +33% | -43% | +133% | -11% | +14% | +14% |
| Drugs | - | - | - | - | +200% | - | +100% | +67% | +200% | -80% |
| Other Crime | - | +200% | -50% | - | - | - | - | +100% | - | +200% |
| Other Theft | +100% | -68% | -73% | +50% | - | -40% | -71% | -63% | -71% | -29% |
| Possession of Weapons | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Public Order | +20% | +25% | +67% | +100% | +175% | +150% | +9% | +40% | -17% | +25% |
| Shoplifting | -60% | +33% | -17% | -85% | -60% | -73% | -67% | -88% | -64% | -78% |
| Theft From the Person | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | -50% | - | - |
| Vehicle Crime | +100% | -67% | -60% | - | - | +50% | - | - | -50% | -67% |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | -13% | -37% | -22% | -36% | +21% | -16% | +13% | -32% | -37% | -23% |
Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in Amesbury
What police force serves Amesbury?
Amesbury's local territorial police force is the Wiltshire Police.How dangerous is Amesbury?
Amesbury is among the top 5 most dangerous small towns in Wiltshire.What is Amesbury's most common crime?
The most common crimes in Amesbury are violence and sexual offences.What is the least common crime in Amesbury?
Amesbury's least common crime is robbery (inc. mugging).Last updated: 01 Apr 2021