Premier League stars paying fortunes on ex-SAS security and panic rooms as foreign crime gangs fly in to raid mansions
PREMIER LEAGUE players are paying hundreds of thousands of pounds to install panic rooms in their houses amid reports of gangs flying into the UK to burgle their homes.
Injured Manchester City star Kevin de Bruyne was the victim of his 70-acre mansion being raided over the weekend while he was in Saudi Arabia.
England forward Raheem Sterling suffered a similar incident last year while he was at the World Cup in Qatar.
A number of other players have also been targeted including Jesse Lingard, Joao Cancelo, Victor Lindelof and Paul Pogba.
Security services are said to be working with footballers and clubs to combat the issue.
According to The Mail, organised groups, many of which reside in Albania, are targeting wealthy individuals – including top-flight footballers – to rob before they flee the country, often wearing the stolen goods while going through airport security.
They are also known to be watching high-end jewellers to identify people to target.
And there are a number of other concerns regarding player safety.
The increased popularity of women’s football has led to worries over the presence of stalkers, while male players have reported they were followed home after games.
But now the problems are leading to players taking extreme measures.
Individuals are investing huge sums of money in steel-enforced panic rooms at their homes.
This enables them to swiftly enter a safe space which contains secure lines and panic alarms.
Virtual perimeters, known as geofencing, are also thought to have been installed – which are made up of an invisible wall monitored by CCTV and sensors.
Other provisions include bodyguards, house sitters and guard dogs.
Clubs have also given their players lectures on ways to avoid being targeted.
These include not posting on social media about holidays or events until after they have returned home, as well as not going to jewellers and instead making them come to their homes.