Eastlondonlines investigation by Sam Rucker and Ed Holt

A Croydon business, allegedly part of a global network of secret Chinese “police stations” and whose director is linked to the Conservative Party, is being investigated by Scotland Yard’s anti-terrorist squad.

The AllEatApp business is registered at Howard House on Croydon’s High Street. It has been identified by Safeguard Defenders, a campaigning human rights group, as being part of a global network of undercover Chinese “police service centres”.

The group claim that these centres “persuaded” ex-pat Chinese nationals to return to their home country.

Ruiyou Lin, cited as AllEatApp’s director has also been listed as a Vice Chairman of the City of London and Westminster Conservative Association (CLWCA) Chinese Group – an “interest group” of the CLWCA.

Lin has been photographed with high-level politicians including Boris Johnson, Theresa May, and Gavin Williamson.

The CLWCA Chinese Group is also labelled as a “sister organisation” of Conservative Friends of the Chinese, an institution launched by Boris Johnson.

The Metropolitan Police told Eastlondonlines: “We’re aware of a recent report by an NGO alleging the presence of Chinese ‘overseas police service stations’ in various countries, including two here in London. Officers from our Counter Terrorism Command are assessing this matter to establish whether there is any potential unlawful activity that may require further investigation.” 

AllEatApp has been registered at the Croydon address since June 2017, meaning if the allegations are true, the “police station” has been in operation for at least five years.

Eastlondonlines visited the AllEatApp office and spoke to an employee. Despite being given various opportunities, the employee did not directly deny the accusations that his workplace was being used as a “police station”: “I just work here … I’ve nothing to comment.”

He added: “We have people from different cultures, different backgrounds working [here] … If what you say is true, then how can they work here?”

Aaron’s Stitch, a local business sharing the same building as AllEatApp, said: “They have been my neighbours for four years, they have been good neighbours … Very good.”

A spokesperson for Safeguard Defenders told Eastlondonlines that these “police stations” don’t necessarily have to be run by everyone in the office: “It could be just one person hired to conduct these activities, where you log in online and wait for further information”.

If this was the case, other office workers could be none the wiser about any illegal activity.

Safeguard Defenders say they cannot specify what goes on within the Croydon station, but their report says it “violates international law”.

They also claim that Chinese stations around the world have “‘persuaded’ 230,000 claimed fugitives to return to China ‘voluntarily’”, between April 2021 and July 2022. This includes the case of a suspect “surnamed Liu” who was living in Spain, wanted for environmental pollution crimes in China.

Liu was persuaded to return to China in January 2020.

Safeguard Defenders alleges Qingtian county prosecutor in China worked jointly with the Madrid “police station”. Liu was supposedly “educated” by staff in the station and was persuaded on a video meeting with the prosecutors present to return to China.

The spokesperson said the NGO discovered the stations “by accident” while investigating news that overseas stations had been opened in Italy – where Italian and Chinese police undertook joint patrols.

They found Chinese websites which linked the Italian stations to two police stations in China.

Safeguard Defenders then found publicly available addresses online for many more locations across the world, including the address in Croydon. 

Stations in Dublin, for instance, were explicitly known as “Fuzhou City Public Security Bureau[s]”. Other stations had “random addresses”, like the one in Croydon.

Safeguard Defenders praised the British Government for “taking [the situation] more seriously” but “elsewhere in Europe” they have not been as proactive.

They hope British action “will set a milestone for the European partners and globally”.

Sarah Jones, MP for Croydon Central, called the situation “alarming”, in the House of Commons. She added, that the AllEatApp had written to her before it was known to be a “police station” requesting “a meeting”. 

In total, three Chinese “police service stations” have been identified in the UK – two in London and one in Glasgow.

The other “police station” in London is in Hendon, northwest London.

The address is linked to a law firm, New World Law Associates, which shares its premises with a real estate agents on north London high road. One man is listed as the manager of both businesses.

Safeguard Defenders insist that the number of secret Chinese “police stations” is “undoubtedly larger and more widespread” than they could verify. 

Its spokesperson said: “I feel with the Hong-Kong activists, [it] makes more sense to have more stations in Britain”.

Eastlondonlines approached the CLWCA, CLWCA Chinese Group, the Chinese Embassy in London and Ruiyou Lin for a comment but none of the organisations or Lin responded by the time of publication

The NGO has identified a total of 110 “police stations” in 30 countries.