Roller shutters in Bassendean

The count has more than halved. WA Police recorded 111 burglaries in Bassendean in 2021 and 46 in 2025, which is 58.6% fewer. The longer view points the same way: there were 171 in 2017, and 95 as recently as 2024.

Even after that fall, the 2025 rate of 4.2 per 1,000 residents sits close to the metropolitan rate of 4.0. Suburb burglary figures combine homes and businesses in one count.

Shutters work alongside locks and lighting, not in place of them. A closed shutter is a physical barrier on windows and doors and makes forced entry slower and noisier. Ground floor windows and sliding doors are the usual place to start.

Bassendean has a larger share of attached homes than Greater Perth. In 2021, 74.9% of occupied homes were separate houses, below the Greater Perth figure of 77.8%, while 19.0% were semi-detached, terrace or townhouses and 6.0% were flats.

For houses, residential roller shutters go on bedrooms, living areas and sliding doors. For townhouses and units in a strata scheme, get the strata company on side first. The default by-laws require its written consent for anything visible from outside the lot that is not in keeping with the rest of the building, and an owner must give 14 days written notice before altering the structure of a lot. Landgate notes that strata approval is in addition to any planning or building approval.

Business owners have extra rules to check, set out below, before choosing commercial roller shutters. At home, Slidetrack and Ziptrak blinds suit a courtyard or alfresco, along with cafe and motorised blinds.

Bassendean has its own council, the Town of Bassendean. Under the state planning rules, shutters on a single house need no development approval where the R-Codes apply, the work is deemed-to-comply and the place is not heritage protected. Heritage protection changes that answer in parts of Bassendean, and the Town also has rules for shopfronts:

• The Town has five adopted heritage areas: Old Perth Road, Devon Road, Kenny Street, Earlsferry and Nurstead Avenue. The Town says all development in these areas requires approval.
• Places on the Town's Heritage List need development approval for alterations affecting their cultural heritage significance.
• In the town centre, Local Planning Policy 1 requires ground level facades of non-residential premises in the District Centre zone to keep at least 80% clear glazing, not obstructed by roller shutters.
• In Mixed Use and Local Centre zones, Local Planning Policy 7 says window security devices must go on the inside of a window and be at least 75% visually permeable, and ground floor shopfronts facing the public realm must not be screened by shutters, blinds or roller doors.

WA Seniors Card members can claim the Safety and Security Rebate on security window screens or window shutters, up to $400 per household. With 17.6% of residents aged 65 or over, it is worth checking before you order.