Fifth UN Chiefs of Police Summit (UNCOPS)
Session 2: Innovation and New Technologies in United Nations Policing
Statement delivered by Veiko Kommusaar, Deputy Director General of the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board
New York, 8 July 2026
Secretary-General, Under-Secretary-General, honourable ministers, heads of police and gendarmerie, good colleagues.
I recently received a scam call. I think many of you are far too familiar with the kind of call I mean. Scams are now one of the most direct threats to people’s money and mental well-being. In many countries, they have become a crime type with almost pandemic-level reach.
Do not worry. I did not lose any money. But the call did make me think. There are so many of these calls that surely a machine should be able to understand what is a scam and what is not. A question came to me: could we make the phone scam-proof? Could a system use metadata and other signs to detect a scam call while it is happening? Could it alert the person before the damage is done?
Very quickly, I decided that this was impossible. It seemed technically difficult. It sounded too expensive. It was probably legally complicated. And it would raise serious privacy questions. So, the idea stopped there.
And I am afraid that this happens too often in police organisations. Good ideas about technology stop too early. They stop because they look difficult, expensive, sensitive, or risky. But if we stop too early, we may pay a much higher price later.
We all know that crime is becoming more technological. We know that more and more crime is moving from the streets into the digital world. At the same time, public support for stronger police powers or new police technologies is often limited. People are worried about privacy. They are worried about control. And these worries are real.
So the answer cannot be: more technology at any cost. The answer must be trusted technology. Technology that is lawful. Proportionate. Explainable. Useful for the officer. And safe for the person we are here to protect.
In other words, innovation in policing is not only a technology question. It is also a question of vision, trust and governance.
For the last two years, I have been leading technology-related developments in border security in the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board.
We are doing exciting things. We are using technology to see earlier.
We are using data to decide faster. And we are building tools that support the officer in the field, not replace the officer in the field.
This work has shown me one thing again and again. Almost nothing is too difficult by itself. And almost nothing is too expensive by itself. Also, the legal space can be developed, if the need is clear, the risks are understood, and the safeguards are strong.
People often say that ideas are easy to find. That may be true. But I think one truly good idea is still underrated. A clear vision. A vision that inspires. A vision that can create political support and public trust. A vision where the benefits are clear, and the risks are taken seriously.
Dear colleagues and partners,
Our countries and organizations are different. Our legal systems, resources and risks are not the same. We do not all need exactly the same technology. But we all want the same thing – we want to be excellent at protecting and serving our people.
That is why meetings like this are important and I want to thank the organisers for bringing us together.
In this room, we have thousands of years of experience in creating safety. We have success stories. We also have mistakes and lessons learned. Together, we can take the most difficult problems, and turn them into strong visions.
And from these visions, we can build the right technological solutions. Technology that helps us act earlier, decide better and protect people more effectively.
I wish all of us useful meetings, honest discussions and bold visions.
And if anyone here has an idea how to stop scam calls while they are happening, please find me during the break.
Thank you.