Formation of professional competence in the field of information security among future law enforcement officers using a structural and functional model

Statement of the problem. The current digital transformation of the activities of the RF Interior Ministry bodies has led to a systemic gap between traditional approaches to professional training and real requirements for the competence of Interior Ministry officers in the field of information security. The existing departmental education system does not fully take into account the operational and service specifics, the rapid evolution of computer crimes, and the need to form a sustainable culture of personal responsibility for the protection of official information, which creates risks for the information infrastructure of the RF Ministry of the Interior. The purpose of the article is to develop and test a structural-functional model for the formation of professional competence in the field of information security among future internal ministry officers, integrating normative, content-related, procedural, and evaluative-resultative components to overcome the identified gap. Methodology (materials and methods). The methodological basis was formed by the system approach, comparative method, and expert assessment method. The study involved a theoretical analysis of scientific literature and regulatory framework, a comparison of curricula, and a survey of 15 experts from among practicing officers and teachers of governmental universities. The model was tested using situational analysis and statistical methods for processing empirical data obtained during a pedagogical experiment involving 127 cadets. Research results. A structural-functional model has been developed and experimentally tested, comprising target, content-related (normative-legal, technical-technological, operational-tactical modules), procedural (diagnostic, theoretical-methodological, practice-oriented stages), and evaluative-resultative blocks. The model’s effectiveness has been empirically proven: cadets in the experimental group showed 42% higher results in identifying computer crimes and 37% higher results in applying information protection regulations. A strong correlation (r = 0.82) was established between the use of practice-oriented methods and the level of formed competence. Conclusion. The proposed model is an effective tool for forming professional information security competence, ensuring the integration of theoretical training with the practical requirements of operational and service activities. Key conditions for its successful implementation are the introduction of specialized training complexes, the use of situational tasks based on real incidents, and the targeted formation of an information security culture. The research results can be used to modernize curricula and create unified personnel training standards within the RF Ministry of the Interior.