E-governance in the activities of law enforcement agencies: definition, principles, elements, and implementation features

Abstract

The article provides a comprehensive study of the administrative and legal foundations of e-governance functioning in the law enforcement agencies of Ukraine and determines its place within the public administration system. Digitalization of the security sector is examined as a key direction for modernizing law enforcement activities, directly influencing the discretionary powers of officials, operational efficiency, transparency, and human rights compliance. The regulatory and legal framework of digitalization is analyzed, including the Laws of Ukraine «On Administrative Services», «On Public Electronic Registers», «On Electronic Identification and Electronic Trust Services», «On Information Protection in Information and Communication Systems», and subordinate legislation. The concept of e-governance in the law enforcement sphere is substantiated as a comprehensive administrative and legal regime rather than merely technical automation. A terminological distinction is made between the basic categories of digitalization («informatization», «digital transformation», «electronic services»). A four-circuit model of e-governance has been developed (encompassing service, operational-procedural, information-analytical, and control-security blocks), and the data lifecycle along with a system of special principles (legality, proportionality, traceability, interoperability, cyber resilience, algorithmic accountability, and confidentiality protection) are formulated. The main challenges to the system’s functioning are identified: fragmentation and inconsistency of legislation, incompatibility of state and departmental registers, insufficient clarity of data access regimes, risks of privacy intrusion, and cyber threats. The problems regarding the lack of unified approaches to regulating algorithmic decision-making support are highlighted. Directions for improving legal regulation are proposed, including the systematic unification of legislation, introduction of unified interoperability standards, comprehensive logging (auditing) of officials’ actions, and the legal definition of limits for artificial intelligence application. It is concluded that building a holistic and secure e-governance framework is a crucial factor in reforming the law enforcement system, enhancing management efficiency, and strengthening law and order.