Lyneham is safe, and its crime figures stand up without any spin. Crime runs far below the county average. Almost nobody is out of work. Hardly any homes are overcrowded. The local crime map is mostly empty space.
Police records put Lyneham's crime rate at about 22 offences per 1,000 residents in the year from June 2025 to May 2026, roughly 65% below the Wiltshire average. That covers 147 recorded crimes across the whole year. Both are published figures, and the rate uses a statistical-area population rather than a simple headcount, so don't try to rebuild one from the other with a calculator.
To see that gap properly, set the two rates side by side. Wiltshire as a whole records about 62 offences per 1,000 residents. Lyneham records about 22. Estate agents usually get to "below average" by leaving out the comparison. In Lyneham the comparison is the whole argument.
The village is busier than its size suggests. Population density averages about 2,550 people per square kilometre across its statistical areas, which is dense for rural Wiltshire. Unemployment is about 1%, and about 1% of households are overcrowded. That is the background these figures come from: steady employment, enough room in the house, and nobody forced into a flat above a nightclub, because Lyneham doesn't have one.
With so few crimes recorded, the mix needs handling with care. At this scale a handful of incidents can move any category by several points, so these shares describe one year, not a permanent character. Violence and sexual offences made up about 48% of Lyneham's crimes, against about 35% nationally. That heading is broad and covers everything up to common assault without injury, so the number sounds worse than it may be, and on a base this small it can swing a long way from one year to the next. Anti-social behaviour was about 14%, against about 16% nationally. Other theft was about 10% against 7%. Shoplifting, public order offences, and criminal damage and arson each sat at about 5%, against national shares of about 8%, 7% and 7%. Apart from violence, the local shares stay within a few points of the national ones. That's no surprise in a village with few shops to steal from.
After a crime is reported, Wiltshire Police charges a suspect in about 10% of cases, against about 12% nationally, which puts the force 32nd of 42 forces in England and Wales. About 34% of cases close with no suspect identified. That is a force-wide figure covering the whole county. It says nothing about Lyneham's streets, and it answers a different question from the crime rate. The chance of a crime happening here is low. If one does, the chance of someone being charged is below the national average.
For a buyer who puts safety first, Lyneham is one of the easiest recommendations in the county. Crime sits so far below the Wiltshire rate that it barely comes into the decision.