In the not too distant future we will be able to submit formal complaints to the Carabinieri directly from our smartphone, via the IO app. The news emerged during the Trento Economics Festival 2026, from the statements of the General Commander of the Force, Salvatore Luongo. The number one of the Carabinieri explained: «We receive on average 2.3 million complaints. We asked ourselves what we can do to take advantage of technology and speed up the system». The solution was announced shortly afterwards by Luongo himself: «Through the IO app you can file a complaint». Naturally, it will continue to be possible to continue to submit complaints in the barracks and stations, but the possibility of accessing this service also in digital form could present several advantages, which we will see shortly.
The benefits of digital complaints
The force manages an average of 2.3 million reports every year: by moving part of this flow to the digital platform, it will be possible to eliminate approximately 61 million hours dedicated to repetitive bureaucratic activities, freeing up precious time for field investigations. The benefits also extend to environmental sustainability: an estimated saving of 110 million sheets of paper and, consequently, a reduction of 110,000 tonnes of CO₂.
The barracks and stations in the area will however remain fully operational. Digital is thought of as an enhancement of human capabilities, not as a replacement for them.
An increasingly virtual crime
Crime is changing its skin, this is evident. Less visible, relatively less violent, increasingly oriented towards virtual channels and infiltration into the legal economy. To combat it, the Army is investing in training in STEM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and strengthening collaborations with the university world.
Understanding data analysis and digital markets is now essential to monitor illicit financial flows and cryptocurrency transactions, which have become favored tools for money laundering by organized crime. The results can already be seen: in 2025 alone, anti-mafia activities led to seizures for over 168 million euros and confiscations for 44 million euros.
A two-level investigative model
To operate in such complex scenarios, the Carabinieri adopt a two-level investigative model: on the one hand the widespread network of local stations, on the other a specialized national command center in Rome, equipped with integrated databases and artificial intelligence systems for the analysis of risk profiles and the reconstruction of illicit flows.
Training has also evolved. Alongside the theoretical lessons in the Army Schools, the so-called on-the-job training alternates moments of study with periods of immediate operational service. In the departments of excellence – such as the RIS and the ROS – the military develops advanced skills in digital forensics (forensic information technology applied to the analysis of digital evidence for trial purposes) and in molecular genetics for DNA analysis.
In short, from these considerations it is clear that the fight against crime now increasingly involves new technologies.
