Roller shutters for Bicton homes

Over five years the Bicton count has barely moved. WA Police recorded 31 burglaries in the suburb in 2021 and 30 in 2025, with a dip to 15 in 2023 between them. The longer view is kinder: back in 2017 there were 49.

For 2025 that is a rate of 4.3 burglaries per 1,000 residents, a little above the metropolitan rate of 4.0. Like every suburb figure from WA Police, it counts homes and businesses as one.

What a shutter adds is simple. Rolled down, it is a physical barrier on windows and doors. Anyone trying to force a way in has to deal with the shutter before reaching the glass, which makes forced entry slower and noisier.

The City of Melville's suburb history says the first subdivision, in 1917, took in land that had been the Bicton Race Course. The suburb itself is named after the estate of settler John Duffield, who called it after his home village of Bicton in South Devon.

At the 2021 Census separate houses made up 66.6% of occupied dwellings, below the Greater Perth figure of 77.8%, and semi-detached homes, terraces and townhouses accounted for 27.7%. If your townhouse is part of a strata scheme, a little paperwork comes first. Under the default by-laws an owner needs the strata company's written consent to keep anything visible from outside the lot that does not match the rest of the building, and must give 14 days' written notice before altering the structure of the lot.

For houses, residential roller shutters are cut to each opening and suit the bedrooms, the living areas and the back sliding door. Covered patios suit Ziptrak or Slidetrack blinds, and we also make cafe and motorised outdoor blinds.

With almost a quarter of residents aged 65 or over, the rebate is the first thing to check. WA Seniors Card members can claim the Safety and Security Rebate on security window screens or window shutters: one claim per household, on a purchase of at least $100, for up to $400. The rebate guide also notes that window shutters bring benefits beyond security, including savings on energy costs and control of sunlight.

On approvals, a single house generally needs no planning approval for shutters when the R-Codes apply, the work is deemed-to-comply, and the home is not heritage protected. The City of Melville's LPP 1.17 follows that line for residential development. Its heritage page adds that any development on a property on the local heritage list needs approval, so if your house is listed, call the City first.

Owners in a strata scheme may need the strata company's consent as well. Landgate points out that strata approval sits on top of any development or building approval.