“A sign of the times”: why is crime rising so dramatically in Oxford?
Residents express concern as crime rises in the city
Crime in Oxford has risen significantly in the last ten years, with some residents unsurprised but concerned about the worrying trend.
There were over 18,000 reported crimes throughout the city in 2024 according to Police UK data. However, this does not include any crimes that went unreported for whatever reason, meaning the total figure is likely to be at least slightly higher. This number has risen by roughly 20% compared to 2014 in a concerning upward trend.
Many residents were surprised by this statistic, considering Oxford a relatively safe place to live.
“I always felt safer living in England than living in South Africa. So I am surprised and disappointed to hear that it's increased, because it always felt safe. It's Oxford. It's supposed to be, you know, historic and a university city – it should be clear of crime.” says Stella Argyropailou, originally from South Africa but who has lived in Oxford on and off since 2001, referencing the city’s historic and academic reputation.
Similarly, Charlotte Davis, a scientist who moved to Oxford from the north of England around five years ago, agreed that “I think it would shock people outside of Oxford more. I think crime's just on the rise everywhere. My family, when I started to move here, thought that ‘Oh, it's such a lovely place’, but I think it's like everywhere else – there's higher crime areas and nicer areas of every city.”
In particular, Cowley South and Iffley saw the highest rise in crime in the same ten year period, with an increase of 90% – as of 2024, the area saw over 1,700 reported crimes, up from around 900 in 2014.
On a short walk around the Cowley area in pursuit of local opinions, I saw three police cars speed past in the space of around ten minutes. Whether this was a fluke or representative of the bigger picture I don’t know, but given the apparent lack of police presence, it felt significant.
Greater Leys has also seen a 67% increase in crime between 2014 and 2024, not quite as large as Cowley but still significant. Interestingly then, North Central Oxford saw a roughly 25% decrease in crime in the same period.
Is there something about south Oxford leading to the increased crime while the north of the city has seen reductions or only relatively small increases?
Robin Smith, who was visiting Oxford from a village in the nearby Cotswolds, blamed the lack of police presence in the city, stating “I think the police force has gone, it's diminished. We used to have a policeman or a police lady walk up and down our street once a week. Now, we never see one at all.”
Meanwhile, Stella Argyropailou considered the impact of increased immigration: “I think a lot of people immigrate then move here, or possibly they've just allowed a lot of people in illegally, maybe that's caused it a bit.”
However, there doesn’t generally appear to be a correlation between immigration and crime rates, and police data generally does not classify crime by the nationality or immigration status of the perpetrator.
Nathan Baker, who has lived in Oxford since he was a child, criticised drug usage throughout the city, blaming “lots of people using drugs combined with the high cost of living,” musing that it may just be “a sign of the times.”
Finally, Charlotte Davis considered the high cost of living, noting that the less wealthy areas seem to have more crime: “I think there’s more people that are disadvantaged in this area. I have friends that moved from Cowley to Summertown, and I think they were a bit snobby about it, but maybe there’s more upper class people in the north of Oxford and those from the lowest backgrounds over the south.”
Interestingly, data from the Cities Outlook 2025 report by Centre for Cities demonstrates that Oxford has the highest affordability ratio of all cities in the UK, meaning that wages and house prices do not match up. Ultimately, this means that Oxford is the least affordable city in the country. The average house price in Oxford in 2024 was £571,300 compared to average wages in 2023 of £42,000. Although the wages may seem high compared to elsewhere in the country, it appears that house prices remain even higher.
Earlier this year, Oxford City Council released a statement responding to the report, with Councillor Susan Brown, leader of the council, stating that “We know tackling this [cost of living issue] requires more than just higher wages. That’s why we are also building more affordable homes, addressing housing costs, and supporting an inclusive economy where everyone has access to opportunities.”
Councillor Brown continued to “echo the report’s call for Government action to deliver on its economic growth ambitions through English devolution, industrial strategy, and planning reforms. For Oxford, this means continued investment in affordable housing, promoting the Oxford Living Wage and creating a fairer economy where everyone benefits from our city’s success.”
Police force data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) provides details of specific crimes committed in each force area – Thames Valley Police in Oxford’s case. Although this doesn’t show specific city data, it appears that Oxford accounted for around 10% of reported crime throughout the Thames Valley in 2024.
The most common reported crimes in this wider area were violence without injury, stalking and harassment, and shoplifting. The latter can potentially be explained by the high cost of living in the area, although the former two less so.
Solving the issue of crime throughout the city would be impossible, nowhere is without its crime, but what would residents like to see improved? The consensus seems to be increased police presence.
James Matkowski, originally from Canada but who has lived in or around Oxford for over twenty years, stated that “increasing the police force could help. The police were really good previously, but I think they've been quite defunded. You used to see officers walking around Oxford, the city centre and everywhere. Now, even in town you don't see them. They need to fund the police a bit better.”
Vicki and Robin Smith echoed this sentiment, considering the impersonal nature of modern policing, with Robin stating: “they seem to concentrate on catching easy crimes – people speeding and things like that, where they only need a camera – whereas looking into bigger crimes all seems to be a bit of a struggle, but obviously the money's a problem with it.”
Vicki added: “I think just more police presence would help, but I also think respect has gone and that's perhaps because it's become so impersonal.”
Thames Valley Police were contacted to discuss the rising crime in the city however they declined to comment.