Oxfordshire crime: Anti-social behaviour hotspots mapped including Abingdon and Banbury

New research has found that people living in a historic market town suffer more from anti-social behaviour than anywhere else in Oxfordshire. OxfordshireLive has created an interactive map where you can see how your neighbourhood compares.

Hyper-local police figures show that 213 incidents of anti-social behaviour (ASB) were recorded in the Abingdon Town & West neighbourhood last year. That could include vandalism, verbal abuse, shouting, swearing, fighting, intimidation and harassment.

When compared to the size of the population, that amounted to the equivalent of 19 incidents of ASB for every 1,000 residents, the highest rate in Oxfordshire and higher than the national average of 17 per 1,000 people.

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The next highest in Oxfordshire were the Banbury Ruscote and Banbury Neithrop neighbourhoods in Cherwell, both with 18 incidents of ASB per 1,000 residents. At the other end of the spectrum, South Oxfordshire’s Chalgrove, Stadhampton & Dorchester neighbourhood was the safest in Oxfordshire for ASB, with one incident for every 1,000 residents.

You can see how much ASB takes place in your neighbourhood using our interactive map, along with how that compares to the national average. Simply enter your postcode below:

A spokesperson for the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) said: “During the pandemic, with many more people at home, there was a significant rise in reporting of anti-social behaviour. Since the lifting of restrictions and many people returning to normality, we have seen a steady decrease in the number of reports.

“Everyone should be [able to] live their lives free from intimidation and harassment. It is important to have a multi-agency approach to tackling anti-social behaviour as the police are only one part of the solution. 

“Force working with local authorities and other agencies to tackle ASB affecting communities. The public must continue to report incidents of ASB.

“The police, and other agencies, will use their powers to deal with persistent offenders who blight local communities.” While some forms of anti-social behaviour can seem relatively trivial, this type of offending can have a major impact on people’s lives in the neighbourhoods where it takes place.

Victim Support says many people who experience anti-social behaviour are frightened to go out and don’t feel safe in their own homes. The charity’s chief executive, Diana Fawcett, said: “Anti-social behaviour is often thought of as low level but it can actually have a devastating impact, destroying people’s sense of safety, taking a huge toll on their mental health and massively disrupting their day to day lives.

“Many victims end up losing serious amounts of money or even needing to move house. It’s vital that the government uses the upcoming Victim’s Bill to strengthen the rights of persistent antisocial behaviour victims and improve the support available to them.”