Remote Control of Rapid DNA Analysis in Overseas Territories: The French Gendarmerie Experience

Rapid DNA analysis systems are becoming increasingly relevant to the forensic community, allowing to analyze faster rich DNA samples rather than conventional laboratory methods, but especially with the possibility of performing these analyses as close as possible to the crime scene where DNA evidence is recovered. Since late 2022, the Forensic Science Institute of the French Gendarmerie (IRCGN), located in Paris, has installed RapidHIT ID systems in New Caledonia, Mayotte, Guyana and Guadeloupe with respectively 25 hours, 15 hours and 9 hours of flight from Paris. These French territories lack a local DNA laboratory to carry out DNA results in the time of custody, end even in less than 2 hours. All analyzes are carried in compliance with the ISO 17025 standard and are retrieved using an encrypted telematics link to be analyzed in real time by DNA experts in Paris. By ensuring 24/7 availability for technical supply and to meet the needs of investigators over a territory spanning 16 time zones, IRCGN was able to analyze more than 350 samples (77% caseworks, 8% cadavers, 15% references) from crime scenes or in DVI context. This system was particularly effective last may in New Caledonia during the insurgent context helping to identify immediately rioters leaving blood on crime scenes. Among the 240 positive results obtained, 70% led to a match with an individual registered in the national DNA database.

The objective of this presentation is to present how IRCGN was able to validate RapidHIT ID systems in remote control for analyze casework samples and describe the issues they had to fix to ensure permanent operating state in overseas territories despite the distance from Paris and the lack of forensic DNA specialists on site.