Author of UK Report on Chinese Organised Crime Says He Was Targeted by Influence Attempts

Dr David Wilson, author of a Home Office-sponsored report on the Chinese state and organised crime in the UK, said he was the target of multiple attempts to influence or compromise him during his research. Wilson, a former police inspector and West Midlands regional coordinator for the national Organised Immigration Crime Domestic Taskforce, said he received a warning during early interviews with former Hong Kong police officers that he would become a target for honey traps or bribes from the Chinese state and organised crime.

Within about two weeks of that warning, Wilson said he received a phone call from a former British police officer who had been a Chinese citizen before naturalising in the UK.

Wilson declined the invitation. Wilson also said he received around 20 to 25 LinkedIn connection requests from women with empty profiles featuring photographs of very beautiful women. He said he had received no unsolicited LinkedIn contacts in the 10 years before starting his research.

The contact told Wilson that “The Chinese are such wonderful people. They’re so generous” and sent links about their good work. Wilson replied that his loyalty was to the government and to the UK, not the Chinese government, then reported the profile to the appropriate authorities and told the man to stop contacting him.

Wilson’s report was declassified in February 2026. It detailed links between senior members of organised criminal groups and those in the Chinese consulate, and highlighted the exploitation of Chinese students by the gangs and the CCP. Wilson said the networks avoid the use of guns on the streets and avoid involvement in small boat trafficking across the Channel.

He said they deal with violence, drugs, and organised immigration crime in a low-profile manner. Wilson said there is strong evidence that Chinese organised crime is strongly linked to the Chinese government. He said he believes the approaches made to him bear the imprint of the United Front Work Department.

Last week a bulletin was released by the Five Eyes powers highlighting an aggressive online strategy on LinkedIn where Beijing military intelligence spies pose as workers for private businesses or thinktanks.