Reports via the IO app and artificial intelligence: Carabinieri accelerate the digital transformation of the force

Filing a report with the Carabinieri could soon become possible directly through the IO app. The announcement was made by the Commander General of the Carabinieri, Salvatore Luongo, during the Trento 2026 Economy Festival, where he outlined the modernization path the Carabinieri are undertaking through digitization, data analysis, and new investigative technologies.

According to Luongo, the force receives approximately 2.3 million reports each year. For this reason, a project has been launched aimed at simplifying and speeding up the system through the use of the IO app. The service, still under development but expected soon, would allow for a reduction of about 61 million hours of activities considered to have low added value. Additionally, the new system would help decrease paper usage, estimated at approximately 110 million sheets, and reduce CO2 emissions by about 110 thousand tons.

However, the Commander General clarified that digital transformation will not result in a reduction of physical presence on the territory. According to Luongo, technology must amplify the effectiveness of human work without replacing it. The Carabinieri are indeed present in 7,407 Italian municipalities through Stations and Tenenze and represent the only legal presence for 57% of the population.

Reports via the IO app are a first step towards forms of telematic investigations. During the presentation, the change in organized crime was also addressed, which today operates increasingly through infiltrations in the legal economy rather than through direct control of the territory. In 2025, the Carabinieri seized over 168 million euros and confiscated about 44 million in anti-mafia activities.

To counter these phenomena, the Carabinieri are investing in telematic investigations, data analysis, and monitoring of virtual financial flows, including cryptocurrencies. Luongo spoke of a "binary" investigative model, based on territorial structures alongside a national operations center in Rome, with the support of integrated databases and artificial intelligence tools.

There will also be a strong focus on STEM training and the recruitment of young professionals with cyber and technological skills, strengthening specialized pathways related to forensic genetics, digital forensics, and telematic investigations.