Police across the UK will visit homes across the country this month as part of a crackdown on illegal streaming.
Working with FACT and other agencies on Operation Raider, West Mercia Police have identified over 1,000 people who have been streaming content illegally.
While criminal prosecution is pending against the operator of the illegal service, the police are warning consumers that using illegal streaming services is treated extremely seriously by the courts. In 2021, two individuals, Paul Faulkner and Stephen Millington were sentenced to a total of 16 months in prison for watching unauthorised streams.
FACT chief executive, Kieron Sharp, said: “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”.
West Mercia Police (Specialist Operations – Cyber Crime) detective inspector, Matt McNellis added: “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.”
