Technology Can Enhance Policing But Can’t Replace Public Trust, Says IGP Disu
Quick Read
- IGP Disu spoke at the Fifth UN Chiefs of Police Summit (UNCOPS 2026) in New York, July 7–8.
- He said AI, digital forensics and geospatial intelligence are boosting law enforcement worldwide.
- Criminal networks are exploiting AI and encrypted platforms to operate across borders, he warned.
- He called for equitable access to digital policing tools for all nations, not just advanced ones.
Inspector General of Police, Tunji Disu, has declared that technology can enhance policing, but stressed it can never substitute for the trust that exists between security agencies and the communities they protect.
Disu made the remarks while representing Nigeria at the Fifth United Nations Chiefs of Police Summit (UNCOPS 2026), held at the UN Headquarters in New York from July 7 to July 8, 2026. The summit gathered ministers, police chiefs, and senior officials from regional and international policing bodies to chart strategies for global security cooperation.
According to the IGP, tools such as artificial intelligence, digital forensics, and geospatial intelligence are opening up major opportunities for law enforcement agencies to work smarter and respond faster to emerging threats. Still, he was firm that no amount of innovation can replace the human element of policing, the confidence citizens place in their police force.
Disu also raised concerns about how criminal networks are turning the same innovations against society, exploiting artificial intelligence, encrypted communications, and cyber-enabled platforms to run sophisticated operations across national borders. This, he noted, is straining traditional policing models built for a different era of crime.
To close that gap, the IGP pushed for stronger international collaboration, capacity building, and, importantly, equitable access to digital policing tools for every country, not just the world’s most technologically advanced nations. He argued that the benefits of innovation should be shared globally if the fight against transnational crime is to succeed.
His comments come weeks after he was reported hailing Enugu State’s investment in security infrastructure, signalling a consistent push by the police leadership to marry modern technology with grassroots policing efforts.
