Perth Crime Map 2026: Burglary Hotspots & High-Risk Suburbs

Perth's crime picture is not uniform. Burglary rates vary significantly by suburb, and understanding where and when incidents occur helps property owners make practical security decisions rather than guessing.

Perth Crime Hotspots by Suburb

The following suburbs appear consistently in WA Police district crime data with higher residential burglary and property offence rates. This is not an exhaustive list — check the WA Police crime statistics portal for current district-level data.

Northern Corridor

Southeastern Corridor

Southern Corridor

Lower-Risk Areas

Inner western and coastal suburbs consistently show lower property crime rates:

Lower risk does not mean no risk — opportunistic burglars operate across all Perth suburbs. Security fundamentals apply everywhere.

When Burglaries Occur in Perth

Peak Times

• Weekdays 10am–3pm: The highest-risk window — homes unoccupied while residents are at work
• Friday–Sunday nights: Secondary peak — residents out socialising
• School holidays: Elevated rates as families leave properties unoccupied for extended periods
• Christmas period: Noticeable spike — predictable absences and visible new items in homes

How Burglars Enter

• Back doors — forced entry or unlocked. The most common entry point
• Ground-floor windows — particularly louvres and older sliding windows
• Front doors — more common in lower-visibility properties
• Garage access — roller door vulnerabilities and internal access doors
• Other — pet doors, side gates, roof access

What Actually Reduces Burglary Risk

CCTV Deterrence

Visible cameras at entry points and driveways deter opportunistic burglars who prefer unobserved targets. A University of North Carolina study found approximately 60% of burglars actively avoid properties with visible security cameras. Beyond deterrence, CCTV footage is regularly used as the primary evidence in WA Police investigations — but only when cameras are positioned correctly and footage is usable.

Common failures: wide-angle cameras that cannot capture faces, cameras aimed at the sky or ground, storage systems that overwrite footage before the owner notices an incident.

Monitored Alarm Systems

A professionally monitored alarm system adds a response layer that self-contained systems cannot provide. When an alarm triggers, a monitoring centre contacts you and, if required, dispatches a response. For high-risk suburbs, monitoring removes reliance on neighbours noticing an alarm and removes the "false alarm fatigue" that causes people to ignore unmonitored systems.

Physical Security

Locks, deadbolts, security screens and door reinforcement address the most common entry method — forced or easy-access doors and windows. Electronic security is most effective when physical barriers buy the time to trigger a detection response.

Perth vs Other Australian Cities

Perth sits in the middle of Australian capitals for property crime — lower than Adelaide and Brisbane, higher than Sydney and Melbourne. Within Perth, suburb choice matters significantly more than the city-level average suggests.

Is Perth Safe to Live In? (2026)

Yes — Perth remains one of Australia's more liveable capitals with large areas of very low crime. The risk is concentrated rather than spread evenly. Key considerations:

• Suburb selection matters most. Moving from a high-risk to a low-risk suburb reduces exposure more than any security system.
• Crime is trending down. WA has seen improving property crime trends over recent years, partly attributed to increased security adoption and policing focus.
• Opportunistic crime dominates. Most residential burglaries are not targeted — they are opportunistic. Making a property obviously harder to enter than the one next door is often sufficient deterrence.

Security by Suburb Risk Level

FAQs