Westbury (Wiltshire) Crime Rate January 2025 | Monthly Statistics

In January 2025, Westbury (Wiltshire) recorded a crime rate of 3.4 per 1,000 residents, placing it 52.1% below the UK average of 7.1 per 1,000. This stark contrast underscores the area's relatively low crime profile compared to national trends. The breakdown reveals a clear imbalance between crime types: violent crimes accounted for 45.2% of all reported incidents (28 cases), while property crimes made up just 22.6% (14 cases). This dominance of violent crime over property crime is unusual for a built-up area in Wiltshire, which typically sees higher property-related offences due to its rural-urban mix. The seasonal context of January—a post-holiday period with shorter days and reduced retail footfall—likely contributed to the lower incidence of property crime, as shoplifting and vehicle-related offences are typically more common during busier months. However, the elevated violent crime rate compared to property crime may reflect local factors, such as the area's social dynamics or the presence of high-risk groups in specific neighbourhoods. While anti-social behaviour and public order offences remained notable (14.5% and 8.1% of total crimes, respectively), their rates were still significantly below UK averages. This suggests that Westbury's community policing efforts, combined with its relatively low population density, may play a role in mitigating broader crime categories. The data also highlights that violent crime in Westbury is 40% below the UK average for violence and sexual offences, a category that often dominates urban centres. This discrepancy may be linked to the area's character as a smaller, more tightly knit built-up area within a rural county, where community cohesion and lower anonymity could deter violent incidents. Nonetheless, the prominence of violent crime in January raises questions about local patterns that warrant further attention, particularly as seasonal transitions may influence crime trends in the coming months.

January 2025 saw significant shifts in crime trends for Westbury, with three notable changes standing out. Burglary rates surged by 200% compared to the previous month, jumping from one incident to three. This spike, while still low on an absolute scale, could signal emerging vulnerabilities in residential security, possibly linked to increased home occupancy during the winter months. Conversely, criminal damage and arson fell sharply by 66.7%, dropping from 12 to 4 cases, a decline that may be attributed to the post-holiday lull in disruptive activities. Anti-social behaviour also dropped by 50%, from 18 to 9 incidents, reflecting the impact of seasonal transitions on community interactions. The balance between violent and property crime remained stark: violent crimes (28) outnumbered property crimes (14) by more than double, a ratio that is 67% lower than the UK average for violent crime dominance. This pattern is particularly noteworthy given Westbury's location within Wiltshire, a county typically characterised by lower violent crime rates. For residents, the most immediate takeaway is the 84% reduction in shoplifting compared to the UK average, which may be attributed to the area's limited retail presence and lower footfall during January. However, the 11% increase in 'other crime' (from 0.2 to 0.2 per 1,000) suggests that unclassified offences may warrant closer scrutiny, though the small numbers mean this could be a statistical fluctuation rather than a trend. These shifts highlight the importance of contextual factors—such as the area's seasonal rhythms and built environment—in shaping crime patterns that diverge from broader national averages.

Westbury's crime rate in January 2025 fell to 3.4 per 1,000 residents, a 29.5% decline from the previous month's rate of 4.8 per 1,000. This reduction brings the area's monthly exposure to a level where, over the course of the month, one reported crime occurred for roughly every 299 residents—a figure that is 43% lower than the UK average monthly exposure of 1 in 167 residents (based on national data). On a daily basis, Westbury recorded an average of 2 crimes per day, a rate that is 65% below the UK daily average of 5.4 crimes per 1,000 residents. This disparity is particularly pronounced when considering the area's population of 18,511: the low crime rate translates to a level of safety that is rare for a built-up area within a rural county. For context, the UK average of 7.1 per 1,000 implies that, in a comparable population size, Westbury would have recorded 132 crimes in January. The area's performance is especially remarkable in categories such as anti-social behaviour, which was 49% below the UK average, and shoplifting, which was 84% below. However, the 11% increase in 'other crime'—a category that includes unclassified offences—suggests that while Westbury excels in most categories, there may be niche areas where the local police force needs to refine its data collection methods. These comparisons highlight the effectiveness of Westbury's community-based policing strategies and the unique advantages of its smaller, more manageable built-up area within Wiltshire, where crime prevention efforts can be more precisely targeted.