Devizes Crime Overview
Devizes is the most dangerous small town in Wiltshire, and is among the top 20 most dangerous overall out of Wiltshire's 276 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Devizes in 2020 was 85 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares poorly to Wiltshire's overall crime rate, coming in 39% higher than the Wiltshire rate of 52 per 1,000 residents. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Devizes is the 100th most dangerous small town, and the 834th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In December 2020, Devizes was the worst small town in Wiltshire for drugs, with 6 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.52 per 1,000 inhabitants. November 2020 was also a bad month for Devizes residents, when it was Wiltshire's most dangerous small town for bicycle theft, recording 2 crimes at a rate of 0.17 per 1,000 residents. Devizes recorded 8 reports of burglary during May 2020, making its crime rate of 0.69 the worst small town for burglary in Wiltshire that month.
The most common crimes in Devizes are violence and sexual offences, with 457 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 39. This is 10% higher than 2019's figure of 411 offences and a difference of 3.95 from 2019's crime rate of 35. Devizes's least common crime is robbery, with 5 offences recorded in 2020, a decrease of 80% from 2019's figure of 9 crimes.
Compare Devizes to other towns and cities
See how Devizes shapes up compared to other locations around the country, including side-by-side comparisons of specific crime types, and separate charting of how Devizes and your comparison town's crime rates stack up against one another.
Devizes Crime Map
Summary of Crimes in Devizes This Year
| Devizes | Wiltshire | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | Count | Rate | Count | Rate | Rate Difference |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 474 | 40.75 | 14,474 | 20.06 | 51% more dangerous |
| Bicycle Theft | 9 | 0.77 | 526 | 0.73 | 5% more dangerous |
| Burglary | 38 | 3.27 | 1,947 | 2.70 | 17% more dangerous |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 111 | 9.54 | 4,907 | 6.80 | 29% more dangerous |
| Drugs | 72 | 6.19 | 1,534 | 2.13 | 66% more dangerous |
| Other Crime | 25 | 2.15 | 831 | 1.15 | 47% more dangerous |
| Other Theft | 60 | 5.16 | 2,830 | 3.92 | 24% more dangerous |
| Possession of Weapons | 7 | 0.60 | 293 | 0.41 | 32% more dangerous |
| Public Order | 107 | 9.20 | 3,362 | 4.66 | 49% more dangerous |
| Robbery | 5 | 0.43 | 253 | 0.35 | 19% more dangerous |
| Shoplifting | 58 | 4.99 | 2,458 | 3.41 | 32% more dangerous |
| Theft From the Person | 5 | 0.43 | 205 | 0.28 | 35% more dangerous |
| Vehicle Crime | 34 | 2.92 | 2,186 | 3.03 | 3.8% safer |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 457 | 39.29 | 16,322 | 22.62 | 42% more dangerous |
Crime in Devizes Compared To Wiltshire
Devizes Compared to Nearby Small Towns
| Small Town | Total Crimes | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westbury | 702 | 44.51 | 91% safer |
| Wootton Bassett | 604 | 45.95 | 85% safer |
| Amesbury | 689 | 55.77 | 52% safer |
| Warminster | 1,038 | 58.24 | 46% safer |
| Melksham | 1,064 | 70.90 | 20% safer |
| Devizes | 988 | 84.95 | - |
Devizes Crime Trends
| Crime Rate Per 1,000 Residents | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Trend |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 46 | 43 | 39 | 41 | Safer |
| Bicycle Theft | 1.6 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 0.77 | Safer |
| Burglary | 3.6 | 3.1 | 3.3 | 3.3 | Safer |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 11 | 10 | 12 | 10 | Safer |
| Drugs | 2.4 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 6 | Getting worse |
| Other Crime | 1.6 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 2.2 | Getting worse |
| Other Theft | 7 | 8 | 6 | 5 | Safer |
| Possession of Weapons | 0.52 | 0.86 | 0.60 | 0.60 | Safer |
| Public Order | 7 | 5.0 | 7 | 9 | Getting worse |
| Robbery (inc. mugging) | 0.17 | 0.26 | 0.77 | 0.43 | Getting worse |
| Shoplifting | 8 | 10 | 8 | 5.0 | Safer |
| Theft From the Person (inc. pickpocketing) | 0.95 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 0.43 | Safer |
| Vehicle Crime | 3.4 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 2.9 | Getting worse |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 36 | 31 | 35 | 39 | Getting worse |
Changes In Devizes's Crime Rates Over Time
Comparing Devizes to the UK's Major Cities
| Small Town | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Barnet | 67.71 | 25% safer |
| Coventry | 77.41 | 10% safer |
| Croydon | 83.22 | 2.1% safer |
| Devizes | 84.95 | - |
| Sheffield | 85.81 | 1.0% more dangerous |
| Bristol | 86.21 | 1.5% more dangerous |
| Leicester | 97.44 | 13% more dangerous |
| Birmingham | 102.87 | 17% more dangerous |
| Liverpool | 107.28 | 21% more dangerous |
| Bradford | 133.02 | 36% more dangerous |
| Leeds | 137.10 | 38% more dangerous |
Crime in Devizes's Neighbourhoods
| Neighbourhood | Crime Count | Crime Rate | Danger Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Devizes West | 669 | 107 | First |
Crime in Devizes During Coronavirus Lockdowns
Looking at the months the UK was in lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19, how did crime rates in Devizes change compared to the same month in 2019? The biggest increase in lockdown crime came in May, when Devizes saw a 700% increase in burglary. Devizes saw a large fall in shoplifting during May, when it fell by 86% compared to May in 2019.
| Crime | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-Social Behaviour | +15% | +11% | -15% | -2% | +24% | +10% | +107% | -9% | +52% | +6% |
| Bicycle Theft | - | - | - | - | -50% | - | -67% | - | -50% | - |
| Burglary | +200% | +25% | +700% | +100% | -80% | -71% | -71% | +300% | - | +33% |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | -67% | -22% | +30% | -30% | -14% | +27% | +13% | - | +144% | -79% |
| Drugs | +50% | +200% | +167% | -22% | - | -25% | +200% | -20% | +200% | +50% |
| Other Crime | - | -33% | +100% | +500% | - | - | - | - | -33% | -33% |
| Other Theft | -71% | +33% | - | -17% | - | +50% | +13% | -50% | - | +50% |
| Possession of Weapons | - | - | +100% | - | +100% | - | - | - | - | - |
| Public Order | +100% | +75% | -40% | +100% | -33% | +44% | +44% | -18% | +50% | -33% |
| Robbery | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Shoplifting | -13% | +17% | -86% | -33% | -81% | -63% | +160% | +50% | -78% | -80% |
| Theft From the Person | - | +100% | -50% | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Vehicle Crime | - | - | - | - | +33% | - | +100% | -50% | +200% | -75% |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | +22% | +44% | -13% | +36% | +53% | +54% | -22% | +16% | -17% | -26% |
Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in Devizes
What police force serves Devizes?
Devizes's local territorial police force is the Wiltshire Police.How dangerous is Devizes?
Devizes is the most dangerous small town in Wiltshire.What is Devizes's most common crime?
The most common crimes in Devizes are violence and sexual offences.What is the least common crime in Devizes?
Devizes's least common crime is robbery (inc. mugging).Last updated: 01 Apr 2021