Home security in Adelaide: break-in data, SA security agent licences and installers

Quick answer: SA Police data shows 5,861 serious criminal trespasses on a residence (home break-ins) across South Australia in 2025-26, up 12% from 5,228 the year before; suburbs with Adelaide-area postcodes (5000 to 5199) accounted for 4,179, up 6.6%. Businesses and staff who install or maintain alarms and CCTV in South Australia need a security agent licence from Consumer and Business Services.

Break-ins in Adelaide: the official figures

SA Police publishes reported offences by suburb on the state’s open data portal (the 2025-26 file was published in August 2026). A home break-in is recorded as “serious criminal trespass – residence”. We grouped suburbs by postcode, which is our approximation of metropolitan Adelaide rather than an official boundary.

Area	2024-25	2025-26
South Australia	5,228	5,861
Postcodes 5000 to 5199 (broadly metropolitan Adelaide)	3,921	4,179
Adelaide (city)	78	96
Morphett Vale	60	70
Semaphore Park	37	66
Seaton	45	63
Elizabeth Vale	67	61
Ingle Farm	36	58
Prospect	36	56

Unlike the other state capitals, Adelaide’s figures went up in the latest year, and several western and northern suburbs rose sharply. Suburb counts are small and move around, and the data is by reported date and subject to revision. The highest suburb counts in the state were outside Adelaide, in Port Augusta and Port Lincoln.

Cameras, doorbells and audio recording in South Australia

Video is rarely the legal problem with a home camera; sound is. In South Australia, the Surveillance Devices Act 2016 (section 4) prohibits using a listening device to record a private conversation you are not part of, or to record one you are part of, unless all principal parties consent or it is reasonably necessary to protect lawful interests. There is also an exception for a device on premises where the owner or occupier agrees and it is reasonably necessary to protect the lawful interests of the owner, occupier or another person. 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 South Australia to the Uniting Communities Mediation Service. 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 Adelaide 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.

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How to choose an alarm installer in Adelaide

Security agent licence. Under the Security and Investigation Industry Act 1995, businesses and their employees must hold a security agent licence from Consumer and Business Services (CBS) when installing and maintaining security systems or selling and advising on them. Ask for the licence number and check it with CBS.
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 Adelaide

These independent businesses appear in public business listings for the Adelaide 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.