Crime in Winchester
Recorded crime in Winchester is 0.7 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has fallen 15%. Most of the harm comes from violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences). Police data to August 2026.
135,632 residents in 72 neighbourhoods.
- Safety
- 6/10Average crime
- Living
- 5.7/10Fair
- 5-year change
- −15%fewer crimes
Crime over 5 years
Down 15% in 5 years Recorded crimes in Winchester, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 0.7× the England and Wales average. 56 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 62% of the harm here
- Burglary: 17% of the harm here
- Other theft: 5% of the harm here
"Violence and sexual offences" is 62% of the harm here. It is a broad police category: most of these crimes are assaults without injury, harassment and threats, often indoors between people who know each other, and only a small part are sexual or serious violent offences. Police data does not say which, so each one is weighted at the England and Wales average for the category, which can overstate a quiet residential area.
Anti-social behaviour: 9.3 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, not scored. Not a crime, so it is not part of the Safety score.
Crime by type
Recorded crimes per 1,000 residents per year, most serious first, not counting anti-social behaviour.
| Type | Per 1,000 a year |
|---|---|
| Robbery | 0.3 |
| Burglary | 3.9 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 21.9 |
| Drugs | 2.1 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 0.5 |
| Other crime | 1.3 |
| Other theft | 5.1 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 0.5 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 4.4 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 5.2 |
| Public order | 5.9 |
| Bicycle theft | 0.9 |
| Shoplifting | 3.8 |
What crimes are recorded in Winchester
Crimes recorded by the police, April 2025 to March 2026. Source: Home Office, police recorded crime by community safety partnership.
| Type | Crimes in 2025/26 | Per 1,000 residents | Change on 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cars stolen | 93 | 0.69 | Down 15% |
| Cars broken into | 178 | 1.3 | Down 36% |
| Vehicle tampering | 74 | 0.55 | Up 19% |
| Vandalism to homes | 106 | 0.78 | Down 9% |
| Vandalism to other buildings | 105 | 0.77 | Down 17% |
| Vandalism to vehicles | 183 | 1.3 | Up 24% |
| Arson | 21 | 0.15 | Up 91% |
| Burglary of homes | 141 | 1.0 | Down 8% |
| Burglary of businesses | 131 | 0.97 | Up 10% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 1 | - | - |
| Carrying a knife or blade | 40 | 0.29 | Up 60% |
| Carrying other weapons (including guns) | 40 | 0.29 | Up 3% |
| Robbery of people | 33 | 0.24 | Up 57% |
| Robbery of businesses | 16 | 0.12 | - |
| Violence with injury | 799 | 5.9 | Down 3% |
| Violence without injury | 1,060 | 7.8 | About the same |
| Stalking and harassment | 1,008 | 7.4 | Up 11% |
| Sexual offences | 353 | 2.6 | Down 2% |
| Shoplifting | 693 | 5.1 | Up 3% |
| Bicycle theft | 46 | 0.34 | Down 21% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 66 | 0.49 | Down 6% |
| Drug dealing | 70 | 0.52 | Down 7% |
| Drug possession | 423 | 3.1 | Up 41% |
Under 10 a year: no rate or change, the numbers are too small to compare. These are council-area figures: police.uk street-level data, used for the map and the Safety score, only has the broad categories, and no source publishes murders or stabbings by street.
Hampshire Police area: 991 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument in 2025/26 (991 the year before). This covers the whole police force area, not only Winchester.
Source: Home Office, police recorded knife crime by police force.
Towns and cities in Winchester
Postcode districts in Winchester
Questions about crime in Winchester
- Is Winchester a safe place to live?
- Winchester scores 6 out of 10 for safety (average crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Is crime going up or down in Winchester?
- Down 15% over 5 years, from 8,879 recorded crimes a year to 7,503.
- What is the most common crime in Winchester?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 22 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How many cars are stolen in Winchester?
- In Winchester, the police recorded 93 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 0.7 per 1,000 residents, down 15% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Winchester?
- 394 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in Winchester in 2025/26, 2.9 per 1,000 residents, 0.6 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Winchester last year?
- 1 homicide (murder or manslaughter) was recorded in Winchester in 2025/26, against 1 the year before.