St Mary's, Oxford: Safety
Safety
Crime rates in St Mary's are higher than the UK average, but they're dropping — and the neighbourhood is safer than nearby areas like St Clement's.
In 2024, St Mary's had 116 crimes per 1,000 residents compared to the UK average of 92. That fell to 112 per 1,000 in 2025, and 2026 data shows the trend continuing downwards. Anti-social behaviour is notably lower than the national average, which makes a real difference to how safe the neighbourhood feels day-to-day.
Bicycle theft is higher than average, so it's something to be aware of if you cycle regularly. But overall, things are improving, and St Mary's compares well against neighbouring Holywell and St Clement's.
Source: police-recorded crime for St Mary's ward (Thames Valley Police, data.police.uk), Jan 2024–Aug 2026; residents from Census 2021. This summary may predate the latest data release; the table below has the current figures.
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Crime rate comparison
Crimes per 1,000 residents, Jan–Dec 2025. St Mary's ward: Thames Valley Police data via data.police.uk; residents from Census 2021. Averages are for all wards in the area over the same months. Planna's safety index uses the latest 12 months instead, so it can differ.
2024
2025
Jan–Aug 2026
St Mary's ward
Crimes/1,000 residents
111.6
Higher than
UK average (England, Wales & N. Ireland)
98.8
Higher than
South East region average
84.2
Neighbouring wards
Higher than
Donnington
92.6
Lower than
St Clement's
142.9
Similar to
Hinksey Park
102.2
Similar to
Holywell
109.7
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Types of Crime
Share of police-recorded crimes in St Mary's ward and the South East region average, Jan–Dec 2025.
This ward
Regional average
- Violent offences31%38%
- Bicycle theft11%1%
- Other theft10%7%
- Public order10%7%
- Anti-social behaviour8%14%
- Shoplifting7%10%
- Criminal damage and arson5%8%
- Drugs5%3%
- Vehicle crime4%4%
- Burglary4%3%
- Theft from the person2%1%
- Robbery2%1%
- Other crime1%2%
- Possession of weapons1%1%
