Crime and Safety in Wootton Bassett
Last updated: 07 Jun 2026
Wootton Bassett is among the top 10 safest small towns in Wiltshire, and is the 77th most dangerous overall out of Wiltshire's 272 towns, villages, and cities. The overall crime rate in Wootton Bassett in 2026 is 42 crimes per 1,000 people. This compares favourably to Wiltshire's overall crime rate, coming in 16% lower than the Wiltshire rate of 50 per 1,000 daytime population. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a whole, Wootton Bassett is the 253rd safest small town, and the 3,822nd most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages.
In August 2017, Wootton Bassett had the worst crime rate in Wiltshire for theft from the person, with 2 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.14 per 1,000 daytime population. July 2016 was also a bad month for Wootton Bassett residents, when it was Wiltshire's most dangerous area for robbery, recording 1 crime at a rate of 0.07 per 1,000 daytime population.
The most common crimes in Wootton Bassett are violence and sexual offences, with 337 offences during 2026, giving a crime rate of 23. This is 11% higher than 2025's figure of 303 offences and a difference of 2.31 from 2025's crime rate of 21. Wootton Bassett's least common crime is theft from the person, with 0 offences recorded in 2026, a decrease of 0% from 2025's figure of 3 crimes.
Wootton Bassett 2026 Crime Scorecard
Top 10 Safest
Small Towns, Wiltshire
32% lower, regional crime rate
South West
42% lower, national crime rate
England, Wales & NI
Local Crime in Context
As of April 2026, the crime rate in Wootton Bassett is 32% lower than the South West and 42% lower than the England, Wales & Northern Ireland overall figure.
Wootton Bassett Crime Rate Over Time
| Wootton Bassett | |
| South West | |
| England, Wales & NI |
Wootton Bassett Crime Map
Incidents mapped in Wootton Bassett represent the time frame between January 2016 and April 2026. Each point on the map represents an area where crimes have been recorded locally.
Use Crime Map
Hover over a point to see a breakdown of crime types recorded at that location. You can also filter by individual crime types, or use a combinations of offences to visualise the data you need.
See How Wootton Bassett Compares
You can compare Wootton Bassett's crime statistics against any other town, village, or city from across the country. Search for a location's name below to see how they stack up.
Introduction to Wootton Bassett's crime statistics
This crime profile provides a detailed view of crime and safety around Wootton Bassett up to April 2026, the most recent data release available. The crime figures and statistics have been calculated across each of Wootton Bassett's 395 postcodes using three area sizes for comparison:
- Within a Five-Minute Walk
- Within a Ten-Minute Walk
- Within a Fifteen-Minute Walk
Individual crime risk scores and index figures are for the 12-month period ending April 2026 unless otherwise stated.
CrimeRate Insights
Looking into a specific address in Wootton Bassett? CrimeRate Insights reports convert raw numbers into practical insight for any location, from single addresses and postcodes, up to major towns and cities.
Crime rates don’t happen by themselves; they follow people and patterns. Where crowds gather - near pubs and late-night venues, around the station, by supermarkets and forecourts - incidents naturally concentrate.
That doesn’t mean an area is "bad"; it usually means footfall is higher.
Your report explores these factors in a calm, non-judgemental way, putting the numbers in context and helping you spot what’s typical for places like this.
Crime Risk Scores
Wootton Bassett • 12 Months Ending April 2026
The typical five-minute walk within Wootton Bassett has a crime risk score of 419. This is based on analysis of 395 nearby areas within Wootton Bassett, with "most" referring to roughly two thirds of the nearby locations.
Crime risk scores are on a scale of 1 to 1,000 and consider the severity of the crimes involved, as determined by sentencing guidelines. A score of 1 represents the lowest risk, and 1,000 the highest risk. This approach ensures that - unlike overall crime rate figures - bicycle theft is not given the same importance in Wootton Bassett's risk scores as, for example, robbery, or violence & sexual offences.
Within a five-minute walk of the typical location in Wootton Bassett, crime risk scores are typically around 419, while in Wiltshire they are average 419.
Areas within a ten-minute walk typically see crime risk scores of 456 (404 for Wiltshire), and scores within a fifteen-minute walk are most often around 468 (Wiltshire 398).
Trends in Crime Risk
Wootton Bassett
Calculated via Seasonal and Trend decomposition using Loess, the Seasonality Adjusted line represents the original data with seasonality subtracted, and the Trend line has been plotted unadjusted. Overall trend direction has been identified using the Mann-Kendall trend test, and rate calculated from the slope of the best-fit line identified from linear regression.
The 10-year trend indicates a decrease of 29% in Wootton Bassett's crime risk score. This is potentially a strong signal of how the crime risk is evolving. Cross-referencing with major cultural events and Covid's impact during this time is advised.
The five-year trend may be static; no significant trend was identified in Wootton Bassett's crime risk scores during this timeframe.
Over the last year, Wootton Bassett's crime risk score has shown an upward trend of approximately 53%, indicating that the risk profile is going up. This is an extremely short time period for crime trend analysis, and caution should be exercised when interpreting this figure.
Crime Rates and Indexes
Wootton Bassett
The CrimeRate Index shows how crime rates compare against the national average.
1.0 equals the average
2.0 is double
3.0 triple
0.5 is half and
0.25 a quarter.
Highest Crime Rates
Wootton Bassett • 12 Months Ending April 2026
Excluding other crime and other theft because their geographic location is often not relevant, anti-social behaviour as its definition is too wide, and bicycle theft for its specificity.
Possession of Weapons offences have a crime rate of 0.70 reports per 1,000 people in Wootton Bassett, which is 1.25 times the national average. This figure is calculated from 10 crime reports logged by Wiltshire Police during the 12-month period ending April 2026.
For the same period, Wiltshire Police recorded 81 reports of Criminal Damage and Arson in Wootton Bassett, resulting in a crime rate of 5.65 reports per 1,000, and a CrimeRate Index of 0.90.
The crime rate for Robbery is 0.90 times the national average at 0.35 reports per 1,000. This is from 5 crime reports reported to Wiltshire Police.
Most Significant 3-Year Increases in Crime Types
Wootton Bassett
Excluding other crime and other theft, anti-social behaviour, and bicycle theft, and calculated with the same STL method described in Trends in Crime Risk, using CrimeRate Index figures to identify crime types that are trending above or below the national average, and the analysis timeframe limited to the last three years.
Burglary offences are trending upwards, though the CrimeRate Index three years ago is too low to measure, and the trend should be reviewed with caution.
Public Order offences are trending upwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 0.73 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Public Order CrimeRate Index was 0.66 times the national average, and the current trend indicates an increase of 11% over this timeframe.
Criminal Damage and Arson offences are trending upwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of 0.78 for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Criminal Damage and Arson CrimeRate Index was 1.00 times the national average, and the current trend indicates an increase of 22% over this timeframe.
Most Significant 3-Year Decreases in Crime Types
Wootton Bassett
Calculated with the same methodology as the largest increases section above.
Shoplifting offences are trending downwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of - for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Shoplifting CrimeRate Index was 0.42 times the national average, and the current trend indicates a near-complete decrease over this timeframe.
Vehicle Crime offences are trending downwards, and have a CrimeRate Index of - for the month of April 2026.
Three years ago, the monthly Vehicle Crime CrimeRate Index was 0.16 times the national average, and the current trend indicates a near-complete decrease over this timeframe.
Crime Type Breakdown & Heat Map
Wootton Bassett • 12 Months Ending April 2026
Size and colour reflect the CrimeRate Index figures for each type of crime.
Wootton Bassett | Wiltshire | South West | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime Type | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index |
| Anti-Social Behaviour | 129 | 8.99 | 0.64 | 10,091 | 11.87 | 0.84 | 82,030 | 12.62 | 0.89 |
| Bicycle Theft | 1 | 0.07 | 1.75 | 483 | 0.59 | 0.81 | 3,702 | 0.54 | 0.74 |
| Burglary | 15 | 1.05 | 0.58 | 1,615 | 1.89 | 0.60 | 15,750 | 2.42 | 0.77 |
| Criminal Damage and Arson | 81 | 5.65 | 0.90 | 4,320 | 5.08 | 0.81 | 36,459 | 5.64 | 0.90 |
| Drugs | 16 | 1.12 | 0.73 | 1,278 | 1.50 | 0.49 | 10,358 | 1.60 | 0.52 |
| Other Crime | 24 | 1.68 | 1.58 | 1,177 | 1.37 | 0.74 | 8,931 | 1.38 | 0.75 |
| Other Theft | 33 | 2.31 | 0.41 | 2,740 | 3.23 | 0.57 | 31,450 | 4.85 | 0.85 |
| Possession of Weapons | 10 | 0.70 | 1.25 | 455 | 0.53 | 0.62 | 3,967 | 0.62 | 0.73 |
| Public Order | 58 | 4.06 | 0.70 | 4,119 | 4.84 | 0.83 | 36,669 | 5.63 | 0.97 |
| Robbery | 5 | 0.35 | 0.90 | 251 | 0.28 | 0.24 | 4,567 | 0.70 | 0.59 |
| Shoplifting | 11 | 0.77 | 0.18 | 3,993 | 4.67 | 0.65 | 37,365 | 5.76 | 0.81 |
| Theft From the Person | - | - | - | 257 | 0.30 | 0.19 | 2,043 | 0.33 | 0.21 |
| Vehicle Crime | 10 | 0.70 | 0.27 | 1,861 | 2.18 | 0.51 | 16,666 | 2.56 | 0.60 |
| Violence and Sexual Offences | 337 | 23.42 | 0.77 | 20,143 | 23.67 | 0.78 | 189,257 | 29.13 | 0.96 |
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Total Crime by Year
Wootton Bassett | Wiltshire | South West | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index | Count | Rate | Index |
| 2026 | 601 | 41.88 | 0.69 | 42,692 | 50.13 | 0.70 | 397,184 | 61.16 | 0.85 |
| 2025 | 449 | 31.32 | 0.51 | 40,160 | 47.55 | 0.64 | 402,192 | 62.40 | 0.84 |
| 2024 | 479 | 33.49 | 0.51 | 39,726 | 47.38 | 0.63 | 357,420 | 55.92 | 0.74 |
| 2023 | 577 | 40.39 | 0.58 | 43,238 | 52.04 | 0.66 | 360,086 | 56.89 | 0.72 |
| 2022 | 544 | 38.08 | 0.55 | 40,909 | 49.54 | 0.64 | 351,958 | 56.19 | 0.73 |
| 2021 | 547 | 38.56 | 0.63 | 36,448 | 44.45 | 0.65 | 311,592 | 50.21 | 0.73 |
| 2020 | 495 | 34.99 | 0.54 | 42,231 | 52.03 | 0.70 | 343,342 | 55.68 | 0.75 |
| 2019 | 561 | 39.86 | 0.59 | 43,338 | 53.76 | 0.71 | 348,574 | 56.87 | 0.75 |
| 2018 | 535 | 38.36 | 0.60 | 43,435 | 54.04 | 0.76 | 340,408 | 55.87 | 0.79 |
| 2017 | 499 | 36.22 | 0.64 | 41,694 | 52.33 | 0.82 | 312,784 | 51.72 | 0.81 |
| 2016 | 186 | 13.51 | 0.77 | 12,700 | 16.02 | 0.84 | 92,229 | 15.29 | 0.80 |
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Wootton Bassett Compared to Nearby Small Towns
12 Months Ending Apr 2026
| Small Town | Total Crimes | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Devizes | 1,275 | 63.02 | 50% more dangerous |
| Warminster | 1,165 | 58.32 | 39% more dangerous |
| Amesbury | 760 | 52.61 | 26% more dangerous |
| Melksham | 1,007 | 53.37 | 27% more dangerous |
| Stratton St Margaret | 1,172 | 53.10 | 27% more dangerous |
| Laverstock | 521 | 44.67 | 7% more dangerous |
| Calne | 891 | 45.36 | 8% more dangerous |
| Wootton Bassett | 601 | 41.88 | - |
| Blunsdon | 123 | 30.42 | 27% safer |
| Tidworth | 516 | 39.78 | 5% safer |
| Melksham Without | 340 | 36.00 | 14% safer |
| Westbury | 775 | 42.90 | 2.4% more dangerous |
| Bradford-on-Avon | 465 | 38.95 | 7% safer |
| Marlborough | 376 | 37.60 | 10% safer |
| Highworth | 327 | 37.44 | 11% safer |
| Wroughton | 402 | 37.72 | 10% safer |
| Haydon Wick | 955 | 37.86 | 10% safer |
| Corsham | 472 | 30.34 | 28% safer |
Comparing Wootton Bassett to the UK's Major Cities
12 Months Ending Apr 2026
| City Name | Crime Rate | Rate Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Wootton Bassett | 41.88 | - |
| Cardiff | 79.55 | 90% more dangerous |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 82.69 | 97% more dangerous |
| Sheffield | 84.09 | 101% more dangerous |
| Leicester | 97.87 | 134% more dangerous |
| Bristol | 104.64 | 150% more dangerous |
| Birmingham | 105.05 | 151% more dangerous |
| Liverpool | 106.48 | 154% more dangerous |
| Leeds | 107.10 | 156% more dangerous |
| Nottingham | 107.74 | 157% more dangerous |
| Westminster | 125.00 | 198% more dangerous |
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Offences In and Around Wootton Bassett's Parks & Leisure Spaces
Limited to spaces in Wootton Bassett that are named and have had crimes recorded within their boundaries in the 12 months to Apr 2026.
| Name | ASB | Drugs | Public Order | Robbery | VSO | All Others |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lime Kiln Centre | 7 | - | 1 | 1 | 26 | 11 |
| Church Street Allotments | - | - | 1 | - | - | 1 |
Recent Crimes in Wootton Bassett
The 20 most recent crime reports in Wootton Bassett.
| Date | Crime Type | Location | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near The Rosary | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Alderney Close | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Hart Close | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Tanners Close | |
| April 2026 | Anti-social behaviour | On or near Masefield | |
| April 2026 | Criminal damage and arson | On or near Supermarket | |
| April 2026 | Criminal damage and arson | On or near A3102 | |
| April 2026 | Criminal damage and arson | On or near Draymans Court | |
| April 2026 | Other crime | On or near Draymans Court | |
| April 2026 | Public order | On or near Longleaze | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Churn Way | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Ruxley Close | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Woolford Grange | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Marlowe Way | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Ruxley Close | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Petrol Station | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near A3102 | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Petrol Station | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near North Bank Rise | |
| April 2026 | Violence and sexual offences | On or near Supermarket |
Methodology & Data Sources
Wootton Bassett Crime Report
Data Sources & Processing
Every month, CrimeRate processes crime reports from data.police.uk, the UK's official provider of open crime report data. Each crime report includes anonymised coordinates, most often "snapped" to the middle of the nearest street, or to the nearest major landmark. The reports also include the month and year the crime was reported, as well as the type of crime.
Data releases on data.police.uk happen once a month, with a two-month delay. This means that, for example, crimes reported in Wootton Bassett during June 2026 will typically become available in August 2026. The latest release is for Apr 2026 and was released in Jun 2026. To provide current and historical crime statistics, CrimeRate processed 61,669,232 crime reports for the latest release.
Wootton Bassett Data Points
For Wootton Bassett, CrimeRate uses the geographic boundaries provided by The Office for National Statistics in the December 2022 release of their Built Up Areas dataset, using the BUA22CD column value E63004888.
Due to the 2021 Census being conducted during a UK-wide Coronavirus lockdown, the daytime population figures released so far cannot be relied on for purposes such as comparing crime rates. Instead, CrimeRate uses Wootton Bassett's daytime - or "workday" - population of 8,178 from the ONS 2011 Census for calculations throughout the site.
All geographic boundaries use the full resolution - extent of the realm versions where provided to avoid missing crime reports near coastlines and rivers - the banks of the Thames in particular - that would otherwise not be included when using the clipped to the coastline datasets.
Calculating Crime Rates
CrimeRate locates the UK region, county, and town/city/village locality for each crime report, and calculates the crime rate by taking the sum of all crime reports, dividing it by the locality's daytime / "workday" population, and multiplying the result by 1,000 to get the crime rate per 1,000.
Crime Risk Score Calculations
CrimeRate calculates crime counts for local, nearby, and wider areas for every postcode in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The postcodes locations are deduplicated by a process that ensures distinct points are approximately 50 metres apart. This process removes the bias that would otherwise come from counting the same crimes several times in heavily populated areas.
Using a custom algorithm developed in-house, CrimeRate applies a crime severity weighting to each area's crime counts, based on the type of crime reported. This increases or decreases the crime count, or zeroes it out entirely, depending on the crime type. A separate crime severity rate is then calculated, standardised, and scaled to fit the crime risk score range of 1 to 1,000, with 1 being the lowest score, and 1,000 the highest.
Crime risk scores undergo further analysis per town, city, and village plus other areas including police forces and neighbourhoods. CrimeRate uses percentiles to work out the most common range of crime risk scores in each locality. This includes identifying the high and low bounds where approximately 68% of scores fall, and finding the median (50th percentile) for easy reference.
The crime types with a weight of zero are: Anti-Social Behaviour; Bicycle Theft; Other Crime; Other Theft; and Shoplifting. The highest weights to are assigned to Violence & Sexual Offences, and the lowest to Vehicle Crime.
Frequently Asked Questions
Crime in Wootton Bassett