Home security in Brisbane: break-in data, QLD installer licences and local installers

Break-ins in Brisbane: the official figures

The Queensland Police Service publishes reported offences by local government area each month as open data. For “unlawful entry with intent – dwelling” (which includes entries with and without violence), in the 12 months to August each year:

Brisbane City has fallen every year, and so has Queensland as a whole (31,641 to 21,484 over the same period). Logan and Redland ticked up in the latest year. Of Brisbane’s 5,169 dwelling entries, 144 involved violence. These are reported offences, not rates, and the figures are revised as investigations progress.

Cameras, doorbells and audio recording in Queensland

Video is rarely the legal problem with a home camera; sound is. In Queensland, the Invasion of Privacy Act 1971 (section 43) makes it an offence to use a listening device to record a private conversation, with a maximum of 40 penalty units or two years in prison. It does not apply where you are a party to the conversation, but a doorbell or outdoor camera that picks up passers-by or neighbours talking is recording conversations you are not part of. 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 Queensland to Dispute Resolution Centres run by the Department of Justice. 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 Brisbane 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 Brisbane

• Security equipment installer licence. Under the Security Providers Act 1993, the Office of Fair Trading licenses anyone who installs, repairs, services or maintains alarms, monitoring systems, audio or visual recording systems, access control devices and detectors. Applicants are fingerprinted and have a criminal history check. Search the installer on the Office of Fair Trading’s licence register and ask for the licence number.
• 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 Brisbane

These independent businesses appear in public business listings for the Brisbane 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

• LGA Reported Offences Number, monthly open data to August 2026 (police.qld.gov.au, open crime data)
• Apply for a security equipment installer licence (qld.gov.au)
• Invasion of Privacy Act 1971, section 43 (legislation.qld.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.