England’s Euro 2024 stars ‘receive special briefing by police’ amid burglary fears during the tournament in Germany… after Raheem Sterling flew home following a break-in during the 2022 World Cup

England’s Euro 2024 players have been give a specific checklist by police on how to protect themselves and their loved ones amid fears of burglaries as they fly out to Germany, according to a report.

The special briefing comes in the wake of several high-profile break ins over the past season and the home invasion of Raheem Sterling during the Three Lions’ 2022 World Cup campaign in Qatar which left the forward ‘shaken’ following the burglary at his £6million mansion. 

In December, Mail Sport revealed that that organised groups, often from Albania, are lining up high net worth individuals on these shores – including top flight players – in a move that has not gone unnoticed by security forces who work with clubs and their stars.

Security sources have disclosed that there is now a worrying trend to contend with outside of the traditional criminal gangs from English cities such as London, Manchester and Liverpool.

It is thought groups arrive from overseas armed with accomplices. They target high net worth individuals – including footballers – and scour the internet to find addresses. The aim is to swipe luxury items such as high-end watches and jewellery, with the crooks then brazenly walking through airport security wearing their stolen goods.

The Three Lions are preparing to jet out to Germany for the tournament which gets underway on Friday

A worrying situation has been impacted by a change in spending behaviours. Premier League clubs are aware that a reduction in the availability of traditional targets – such as vans carrying large amounts of cash from retailers to banks – has led gangs to look elsewhere.

According to The Telegraph, the FA arranged a presentation in which officers gave concerned players an in depth guide on how to ensure they and their loved ones are safe during the tournament. 

In April, it was reported that Three Lions stars were set to spend hundreds of thousands of pounds on ‘military grade’ security measures to protect their homes during the tournament which gets underway on Friday.

They were believed to be set to spend around £250,000 on infra-red and night-vision cameras plus around-the-clock security. Ex-special forces personnel are also being employed to guard their homes.

Some players have already installed panic rooms in their luxury homes in an attempt to keep loved ones safe in response to the trend of targeting footballers.

Virtual perimeters, known as geofencing, are also commonplace. Geofencing is effectively an invisible wall on the boundaries of properties which are monitored by CCTV and motion sensors.

Should the system be triggered, occupants have time to reach safe areas, while assistance is immediately requested.

Drivers often double-up as protection officers, given the prospect of potential car-jackings, while some have live-in bodyguards. House sitters have also become commonplace – especially for those playing in Europe. Thousands have also been spent on guard dogs. Known as ‘protection dogs’ the highly trained animals include Alsatians and Rottweilers.

Raheem Sterling’s £6million mansion was robbed while the Chelsea star was away with the Three Lions at the World Cup in Qatar

During the Qatar World Cup, thieves broke into Sterling’s gated home before making off with a stash of watches and jewellery – prompting the shocked star to race home to be with his family.

Police were contacted around 9pm on Saturday, December 3 after Sterling’s family returned to find ‘a number of items including jewellery and watches’ had been stolen.

He was given leave to return to the UK from England’s camp in Qatar after he learned about the burglary.