Official figures from Thames Valley Police show 356 crimes were reported across Banbury, Oxfordshire, in December 2025. The statistics, published on 3 February 2026, show 275 incidents in the town centre and 81 in surrounding rural areas. The town-centre total represents a year‑on‑year fall from 311 incidents in December 2024 (an approximate 11% drop), but violence and sexual offences remain the most frequently recorded category.
Thames Valley Police and a TVP spokesperson said violence and sexual offences continue to be the force’s main concern in Banbury; TVP has also said that some of the rise in recorded sexual offences reflects increased reporting confidence among victims.
The December figures are the first full winter-month snapshot following the 2025 ‘Neighbourhood Policing Uplift.’ Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Barber has said he is prioritising putting more officers into neighbourhood roles and has committed to measures — including rural crime taskforces — to address offending across both urban and rural areas.
Cherwell District Council, as part of the Safer Cherwell Partnership, is focusing on improving CCTV and town-centre lighting to deter evening-economy violence. Chief Inspector James Sullivan is the Deputy Local Policing Area (LPA) Commander for Cherwell and is the senior local officer responsible for tactical deployment in Banbury.
About this article: This story was put together with the help of AI tools and checked by a real person on our team. We're a small crew trying to cover as much of the UK as we can on a limited budget. We're getting better every day - but we're not perfect yet. If something looks off, let us know. You're part of the process.
