Most Brazilians see technology as a police ally against crime
The majority of Brazilians, around 61.8%, see technology as a great ally of the police in fighting crime, according to data from a survey by Offerwise, from the Norstat Group, carried out with 2,000 respondents and released this Monday morning (1st).
The statement "the police use technology to help with security" was the indicator with the highest level of agreement in all research on police actions in Brazil. Compared to other operational attributes, the data stands out.
The perception of the use of technology exceeds the view that the police respond to emergencies quickly (54%) or that they carry out investigations efficiently (41.1%).
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In addition, only 25.6% of respondents point to the low use of technology as a difficulty faced by police officers, which suggests that innovation is no longer seen as the main bottleneck in public security.
Digital fear and the new crime
Technological appreciation reflects a change in the population's concerns. Today, the three biggest fears of Brazilians are digital crimes, which surpass physical crimes.
At the top of the list are: suffering scams through applications and social networks (62.7%), fraud due to telephone delays (58%) and scams involving PIX or fake bills (55.9%). With the accelerated migration of crime to the virtual environment, technology has come to be seen as an indispensable "weapon" for the safety of Brazilians.
However, the feeling of insecurity also reflects changes in behavior on a daily basis. In Brazil, 44.9% of citizens say they feel unsafe in the cities where they live.
As a consequence, Brazilians began to adopt prevention measures in their daily lives. The survey shows that 68.7% avoid using their cell phones in public places, 61.2% stop using watches, jewelry or personal objects for fear of crime and 72.5% avoid arriving or leaving home too late.
Trust in police officers
The survey also reveals challenges regarding the image of security institutions. While the Fire Department has 76.9% of the population's trust, the state police face greater resistance.
Only 46.3% of Brazilians trust the Military Police and 46.5% the Civil Police. Furthermore, those interviewed pointed to corruption within the police (64.9%) as the biggest difficulty. Next are justice failures (51.7%) and low salaries paid to police officers (45.5%).
Goiás and the use of AI
The state of Goiás leads the positive perception, with 71% of citizens who agree that the police are technological. The number represents an index almost 10 points above the national average.
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According to research, there is a direct correlation between vision and satisfaction with the government. Among those from Goiás who fully believe that the police use technology, 94.2% rate public security as excellent or good.
One of the pillars of the evaluation is the "AI Against Crime" program. Citizens of Goiás who are aware of the initiative indicate it as excellent or good in 81.9% of cases. The number indicates the highest approval rate among all state programs tested.
The report consolidated two surveys carried out in parallel in Goiás and throughout Brazil between March and April 2026, using digital forms. The total sample was 2,000 interviews, with a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points and a 95% confidence interval.
Source: CNN