Car theft and vehicle crime in Oxford
130 vehicle crimes were reported to Thames Valley Police within about a mile of Oxford from October 2025 to September 2026. The most recent quarter brought 27 offences, 32% fewer than the 40 in the quarter before it.
Oxford month by month
Counts ranged from 5 in February 2026 up to 17 in October 2025. Offences rose 6% from the first half of the period to the second. Average: 10.8 a month.
| Month | Offences | vs 12-month average |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 17 | +6 |
| Nov 2025 | 6 | -5 |
| Dec 2025 | 6 | -5 |
| Jan 2026 | 15 | +4 |
| Feb 2026 | 5 | -6 |
| Mar 2026 | 14 | +3 |
| Apr 2026 | 11 | +0 |
| May 2026 | 12 | +1 |
| Jun 2026 | 17 | +6 |
| Jul 2026 | 6 | -5 |
| Aug 2026 | 7 | -4 |
| Sep 2026 | 14 | +3 |
How Oxford compares
Oxford sits at number 73 of 84 on our table, with 11 offences a month: around 54% below the typical town in our set. By contrast Cardiff recorded 116 a month.
Over the latest three months the one-mile circle around Oxford averaged 9 vehicle offences a month. Central Oxford is busier than 71% of the postcodes in our Great Britain sample. The comparison uses 400 randomly chosen British postcodes, each measured over Jul 2026, Aug 2026, Sep 2026 exactly as Oxford is here. Test your own street with the free theft risk checker.
Within the Thames Valley Police area, Oxford ranks 4 of the 4 centres we track at 11 offences a month. The others: Slough (52), Milton Keynes (36), Reading (35).
Towns nearest to Oxford
- Reading (24 miles away): 35 a month, 221% more than Oxford
- Swindon (26 miles away): 23 a month, 116% more than Oxford
- Milton Keynes (29 miles away): 36 a month, 232% more than Oxford
Where in Oxford offences were recorded
Just five locations make up 24% of the 130 offences recorded around Oxford.
- On or near Further/higher Educational Building: 9
- On or near Western Road: 7
- On or near Canal Street: 5
- On or near Police Station: 5
- On or near Tackley Place: 5
What happened to Oxford cases
The most common recorded outcome near Oxford was "investigation complete; no suspect identified" (97 cases).
| Outcome | Offences | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Investigation complete; no suspect identified | 97 | 75% |
| Unable to prosecute suspect | 14 | 11% |
| Awaiting court outcome | 8 | 6% |
| Under investigation | 7 | 5% |
| Status update unavailable | 4 | 3% |
What this means if you park near Oxford
A rate near 11 a month makes Oxford a lower-volume area, which is when an unprotected premium car stands out. Expect pressure to build again around October, the worst month in this data.
Most owners near Oxford start with an immobiliser for prevention, then add monitored tracking if the insurer asks for it. See installation options.
Oxford car theft questions
How much car crime is there in Oxford?
In the year to September 2026, 130 vehicle crimes were logged inside a mile of central Oxford: about 11 every month, placing it 73 of the 84 towns we track (among the lower end).
When was vehicle crime worst in Oxford?
The worst month was October 2025 (17). The quietest was February 2026 (5), and September 2026 came in at 14.
Are car thieves caught in Oxford?
Police.uk shows 97 of 130 Oxford cases (75%) closed without a suspect and 8 with a court-stage outcome, so an owner is far better served by an immobiliser and tracker than by the odds of a conviction.
Does this cover stolen cars only in Oxford?
No. Police.uk counts theft of a vehicle, theft from a vehicle and vehicle interference together as vehicle crime, so the 130 figure for Oxford is wider than stolen cars alone.
Source: police.uk, centred on 51.752, -1.2577, retrieved 2026-11-06. Method and limits.