UK Border Officer’s Alleged Shadow Policing for China

A UK Border Force officer, Chi Leung Wai, is facing charges under the National Security Act for his alleged involvement in a 'shadow policing operation' with Hong Kong authorities. The prosecution claims Wai, along with retired Hong Kong police officer Chung Biu Yuen, targeted Chinese citizens in the UK, many of whom were dissidents seeking asylum.

The court heard that Wai, also known as 'fatboy', had access to the Home Office immigration database, which he allegedly misused to gather information about Chinese dissidents. Wai, through his private security company, is said to have passed on surveillance tasks to fellow UK Border Force officer Matthew Trickett, who also had his own security business.

The operation allegedly involved filming and monitoring dissidents, with one instance showing a woman in Pontefract, Yorkshire, being filmed in her pink pyjamas as she answered her door. The prosecution argued that the operation treated Yorkshire as if it were a town in China.

Wai and Yuen are charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service and foreign interference, while Wai also faces a charge of misconduct in public office. Wai and Yuen deny the charges, and the trial is expected to last several weeks.

The case has brought attention to the potential reach of foreign surveillance operations and the importance of safeguarding national security and the privacy of individuals seeking asylum.