According to information the National Police provided in response to a TI Ukraine request, the acute shortage of electronic monitoring devices (EMDs), commonly known as electronic bracelets — for monitoring suspects and defendants persists.
Current situation with electronic bracelets:
- 300 EMDs are on the National Police’s books.
- 32 EMDs have been lost, including due to hostilities.
- 115 EMDs are defective.
- 8 EMDs are undergoing post‑lifecycle testing to determine whether they can still be used safely and effectively.
Thus, only 145 electronic monitoring devices remain operational, and all of them are currently in use to monitor suspects and defendants whom courts have ordered to wear EMDs. There are therefore no free, serviceable devices left in the country.
In effect, almost half of the available bracelets are unusable. The National Police said the last procurement of EMDs took place at the end of 2019, and new tenders are planned in 2025–2026, subject to funding.
Read more about how the lack of electronic bracelets affects the effectiveness of preventive measures in our article on “HACC Decided”.
