Roller shutters for Girrawheen homes

Burglaries in Girrawheen are falling. WA Police counted 59 in 2021 and 39 in 2025, about a third fewer, and the 2025 figure was also well under the 72 recorded the year before. Measured against the suburb's 8,897 residents, 39 burglaries is a rate of 4.4 per 1,000, a little above the metropolitan rate of 4.0.

The longer run shows how far the count has come down. In 2018 there were 165, so 2025 is less than a quarter of that. As with every suburb figure, the number combines homes and businesses. Property damage reports eased too, from 124 in 2021 to 109 in 2025.

A shutter is one practical layer on top of good locks and outdoor lighting. Closed over a window or glass door, it is a physical barrier that makes forced entry slower and noisier.

Townhouses are a big part of Girrawheen. In the 2021 Census, 22.4% of occupied dwellings were semi-detached, terrace or townhouses, and 76.8% were separate houses, close to the Greater Perth share of 77.8%. Landgate records that development of the suburb commenced in 1970. Home ownership stood at 62.5%, below the Greater Perth figure of 70.4%.

If you own a townhouse in a strata scheme, start with the strata company rather than the catalogue. Shutters are often visible from outside the lot, and the consent and notice rules set out under approvals below may apply before anything is fitted.

For a separate house, residential roller shutters on the bedroom windows and the sliding door to the yard are the usual first step. Courtyards and patios suit Slidetrack or Ziptrak blinds, and we also make cafe and motorised blinds.

All of Girrawheen falls within the City of Wanneroo. For a separate house, the state planning regulations exempt shutters from development approval provided the R-Codes apply, the work is deemed-to-comply and the home is not heritage protected. The City's exemptions policy, adopted on 23 June 2026, also leaves out any site on its Municipal Heritage List or the State Heritage Register.

Strata owners have two more steps under the default by-laws. You need the strata company's written consent to keep anything visible from outside your lot that is not in keeping with the rest of the building, and you must give it written notice at least 14 days before altering the structure of the lot. Landgate's guidance adds that strata approval comes on top of any development or building approval, not instead of it.

For what it is worth, Girrawheen is not among the localities named in the City's 2025 Heritage List, so the City's Heritage List is unlikely to come into play here.