Home security in Melbourne: burglary data, Victorian installer licences and installers

Burglary in Melbourne: the official figures

The Crime Statistics Agency (CSA) publishes recorded offences by local government area. Adding its residential aggravated and non-aggravated burglary categories gives the following for the councils with the most residential burglaries in the year to June 2026:

Statewide, residential burglary rose from 19,884 in the year to June 2022 to a peak of 30,519 in the year to June 2025 before falling to 24,936, so it is still higher than four years ago. Inner councils such as Melbourne, Stonnington, Port Phillip and Yarra have high counts relative to their size. Counts are not rates, and the CSA’s area tables go down to postcode and suburb.

Victoria Police’s community CCTV database

Victoria Police keeps a statewide Community CCTV database. Households can register a private system voluntarily, covering driveways, front yards, streets, rear lanes and doorbells, by emailing their local police station with their contact details, the camera locations and areas covered, and how long footage is kept. Police may then contact you if your camera may have captured something useful. Registration is not compulsory, and Victoria Police says it does not give advice on private CCTV systems.

Cameras, doorbells and audio recording in Victoria

Video is rarely the legal problem with a home camera; sound is. In Victoria, the Surveillance Devices Act 1999 (section 6) makes it an offence to knowingly use a listening device to record a private conversation you are not part of without the consent of each party. A doorbell that records passers-by or neighbours talking on the footpath can fall foul of this. Many doorbells and outdoor cameras record audio by default, so switch audio off on any camera that faces the street, a footpath, a shared driveway or a neighbour’s yard, and keep it for your own front door only if you are comfortable that you are a party to the conversations it picks up.

The federal Privacy Act does not cover a security camera run by an individual in a private capacity, according to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, so neighbour disputes about cameras are handled under state law or through mediation; the OAIC points people in Victoria to the Dispute Settlement Centre of Victoria. Some councils and strata by-laws also have rules about cameras. See our guides to privacy zones, camera audio and police requests for doorbell footage in Australia.

Typical alarm and CCTV prices

We have not found an official Melbourne price survey, so start with the national ranges in our Australia home security costs guide. Oneflare’s cost guide (updated November 2025) puts burglar alarm installation at $550 to $2,900, with a median of $990, and monitoring at $15 to $60 a month. ProtectFind’s 2026 guide puts professional security camera installation at $1,200 to $5,000, with most standard 4-camera set-ups around $1,800 to $2,100. Compare at least two written quotes for the same equipment and the same monitoring plan.

How to choose an alarm installer in Melbourne

• Private security licence. Victoria Police’s Licensing and Regulation Division regulates the industry. Since 19 June 2025 all private security activities, including security equipment installer (CCTV, cameras, alarms, safes and vaults) and security adviser, are licensed activities; installers who worked under the old registration had until 19 June 2026 to apply for a licence. Sole traders with an ABN need both an individual operator licence and a business licence. Check the name on the Victoria Police public register of licence holders.
• DIY is allowed. Victoria Police says you do not need a licence to install a system at your own property, but anyone who helps you install it must be licensed.
• Get it in writing. Equipment list, where each camera points, whether audio is on, and who owns the equipment.
• Monitoring contract. Minimum term, price rises and exit fees. Our monitoring contract comparison tool helps.
• Signalling. Ask how the panel reports (4G, internet or both) and what happens in a power cut. See alarm communication failures.

Alarm and CCTV installers in Melbourne

These independent businesses appear in public business listings for the Melbourne area and describe themselves as installing alarms, CCTV or both. We left out national brands and franchise networks, lead-generation sites and addresses that look like private homes. We have not checked their work, prices, licences or insurance, and none of them has paid to appear.

To compare national companies instead, see our Australia home security providers comparison and the Australia monitored security companies directory, or request quotes.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Recorded Offences by LGA, year ending June 2026, Table 02 (crimestatistics.vic.gov.au)
• Changes to private security licences and registrations, updated 21 July 2026 (police.vic.gov.au)
• CCTV programs and registers, updated 2 December 2025 (police.vic.gov.au)
• Surveillance Devices Act 1999, section 6 (legislation.vic.gov.au)
• Security cameras (oaic.gov.au)
• Burglar Alarm Installation Cost Guide, updated 10 November 2025 (oneflare.com.au)
• Security Camera Installation Cost Guide Australia, 2026 edition (protectfind.com.au)

Last checked: September 2026. Crime figures are revised as investigations finish, and licensing rules change, so check the current position before you buy.

Home Security Innovations is a comparison and referral service, not an alarm or camera company. We do not install, monitor or respond to alarms, and a listing here is not a recommendation.