Blanes (La Selva) — What began in 2017 as an expert office has become, almost a decade later, a professional structure based in Blanes that articulates forensic research, laboratory analysis, training of new experts, and scientific dissemination under a single name. Behind it is Lluís Duque Arnaiz (Blanes, 1970), a criminalist, judicial expert, and former specialist in Scientific Police of the Mossos d'Esquadra, with twenty-eight years of service between 1992 and 2020.
The DUQUE & WITTMAACK Group defines itself as an organization of specialized units, each with its own technical autonomy but integrated within a common framework of criteria. This architecture, the firm itself explains, is not a branding strategy but a sector requirement: to clearly separate expert intervention, technoscientific analysis, and teaching activities to preserve independence of judgment and avoid conflicts of interest.
Four pillars: study, laboratory, academy, and library
The core is the Legal, Technical, and Expert Study, specializing in criminalistics, forensic sciences, and police practice, with a focus on case review and counter-expertise — when, in Lluís Duque's words, "the official version is not enough and science comes in"—.
DUQUE & WITTMAACK has been involved in cases ranging from terrorism, investigation and review of violent deaths, forensic ballistics, investigation of fires and explosions, or international drug trafficking, to more “everyday” cases -as Lluís Duque classifies them-, such as driving under the influence of drugs, alcohol levels, accidents, photographic identification, police practice, etc., in short -he points out-, “the same analysis and the same science that solves a homicide can exonerate a driver who has tested positive for alcohol or drugs while driving”.
Surrounding it are the LABORCRIM® laboratory, dedicated to the qualitative analysis of drugs and narcotics, the expert study of weapons and ammunition, and criminalistic tests in various specialties; the DUQUE & WITTMAACK Academy, aimed at training criminalists for professional practice as judicial experts; and the Criminalistics Library, its own editorial collection.
The training aspect is one of the project's most unique features. The approach combines theory, laboratory practice, individualized mentoring, and support for each student's first expert assignments.
DUQUE & WITTMAACK has been involved in cases ranging from terrorism, investigation and review of violent deaths, forensic ballistics, investigation of fires and explosions, or international drug trafficking, to more “everyday” cases -as Lluís Duque classifies them-, such as driving under the influence of drugs, alcohol levels, accidents, photographic identification, police practice, etc., in short -he points out-, “the same analysis and the same science that solves a homicide can exonerate a driver who has tested positive for alcohol or drugs while driving”.
Surrounding it are the LABORCRIM® laboratory, dedicated to the qualitative analysis of drugs and narcotics, the expert study of weapons and ammunition, and criminalistic tests in various specialties; the DUQUE & WITTMAACK Academy, aimed at training criminalists for professional practice as judicial experts; and the Criminalistics Library, its own editorial collection.
The training aspect is one of the project's most unique features. The approach combines theory, laboratory practice, individualized mentoring, and support for each student's first expert assignments.
A growing scientific collection
The Criminalistics Library already includes about ten titles, including Forensic Investigation of Violent Deaths, Expert Ballistics, Reconstructive Forensic Hematology, Forensic Investigation of Fires, Criminalistics for Lawyers, From Zero to Expert, Forensic and Expert Lophoscopy, or the most recent THE CONTAMINATED TRUTH: Errors, biases, and the human factor in criminal investigation. Added to this output is Imperfect Crimes: Case no. 1 Mario Biondo (Punt Vermell Llibres, 2021), in which the author technically reopens a closed case.
The written work connects with the university teaching that Lluís Duque has carried out since 1997 in centers such as the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and as a tutor for external internships for students from the Universitat de Girona, the Universitat de Barcelona, Abat Oliba CEU, the Universitat d’Alcalá, or the Universitat Internacional de la Rioja, as well as the Escola de Policia de Catalunya, and numerous other academies, training centers, police unions, etc.
The written work connects with the university teaching that Lluís Duque has carried out since 1997 in centers such as the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and as a tutor for external internships for students from the Universitat de Girona, the Universitat de Barcelona, Abat Oliba CEU, the Universitat d’Alcalá, or the Universitat Internacional de la Rioja, as well as the Escola de Policia de Catalunya, and numerous other academies, training centers, police unions, etc.
Projection beyond Blanes
The group claims an international dimension: collaboration with firms, professionals, and media from different countries on cases requiring an external and comparative technical perspective. Duque Arnaiz also presides over the European Expert Association (APE) and is a member of leading sector entities, such as The Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences, the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, and the International Homicide Investigators Association.
"Criminalistics is a science that knows no borders. What we defend is a method: we do not interpret narratives, we analyze facts; we do not construct discourses, we construct technical evidence that withstands debate in court," states Lluís Duque.
When asked about the purpose of establishing this entire structure from a town in La Selva, the criminalist summarizes it thus: "High-level forensic science can be done from the region. You don't need to be in a major capital to work with rigor; you need method, independence, and responsibility."
"Criminalistics is a science that knows no borders. What we defend is a method: we do not interpret narratives, we analyze facts; we do not construct discourses, we construct technical evidence that withstands debate in court," states Lluís Duque.
When asked about the purpose of establishing this entire structure from a town in La Selva, the criminalist summarizes it thus: "High-level forensic science can be done from the region. You don't need to be in a major capital to work with rigor; you need method, independence, and responsibility."
About DUQUE & WITTMAACK:
The DUQUE & WITTMAACK Group is an independent professional structure based in Blanes (Girona), specializing in criminalistics, forensic sciences, judicial expertise, and technical training. It integrates the Legal, Technical, and Expert Study, the LABORCRIM® laboratory, the Criminalistics Academy, and the Criminalistics Library.
Contact: C/ Vila de Lloret, 89 — 17300 Blanes (Girona) · Tel. +34 872 020 350 Webs: duquewittmaack.group · duquewittmaack.studio · duquewittmaack.academy · biblioteca-criminalistica.com
Contact: C/ Vila de Lloret, 89 — 17300 Blanes (Girona) · Tel. +34 872 020 350 Webs: duquewittmaack.group · duquewittmaack.studio · duquewittmaack.academy · biblioteca-criminalistica.com
