Premier League streams and firesticks: Police will visit 1,000 homes in crackdown | OneFootball

Police will visit 1,000 homes this week in a massive crackdown on illegal Premier League streams.

According to the Mirror, the police have ‘identified customers from a huge database in a major ongoing criminal investigation.’

They will knock on doors to warn those involved could face prosecution.

Police have joined forces with anti-piracy investigators from FACT in “Operation Raider.” Those guilty could be served with notices and be ordered to stop streaming illegally immediately.

West Mercia Police have raided a UK-based illegal streaming service offering entertainment and sports via modified boxes, so-called “firesticks” and subscriptions.

This new crackdown is against people trying to watch the Premier League – as well as European football – without subscribing to official broadcasters like Sky, BT Sport and Amazon.

Detective Inspector Matt McNellis, of West Mercia’s Cyber Crime Specialist Operation, said: “We are able to deploy cutting-edge digital tactics to identify and detect people who break the law before carrying out enforcement activity in concert with our partners.

“Often, illegal streaming is used to fund Serious Organised Crime and West Mercia Cybercrime Unit is committed to interdicting this source of criminal revenue and reducing the harm organised crime groups can do to our communities.”

Detective Chief Inspector Gary Robinson, of the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit, said: “Accessing films, TV series and live sports events from unauthorised sources is illegal, can expose consumers to risks such as data theft and malware, and can help fund organised criminal groups.”

FACT Chief Executive, Kieron Sharp, added: “We would like to thank the Government Agency Intelligence Network (GAIN), the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU), West Mercia Police, and other police forces across the country, for their support to help ensure that the public are made aware of the dangers of using illegal streaming services and, more importantly, that they understand that there is the risk of criminal prosecution.”

Two people, Paul Faulkner and Stephen Millington, were previously sentenced to a total of 16 months for watching illegal streams in 2021.

Research suggests the cheapest package to subscribe to Sky Sports – who have 128 games – starts at £41 per month.

BT Sport have around 52 games and you can get sport packages from £15 per month.

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(The Football Terrace)