Behind the scenes: major hunt for accused police killer
Melissa Meehan |
Crawling through darkened caves and squeezing between narrow rock crevices in rugged terrain – police say nothing will stop them from bringing Australia’s most wanted man to justice.
As the hunt for accused cop killer Dezi Freeman enters its third week, police have shared a rare glimpse into the manhunt.
Victoria Police are conducting the largest tactical operation in Australia’s history, with more than 125 specialist police called in to join the search from interstate and New Zealand.
Photos released by Victoria Police on Sunday show just how difficult and expansive the search area is for officers tasked with apprehending Freeman.
Heavily armed specialist police are shown squeezing between narrow rock crevices, searching darkened caves and parachuting into remote parts of the bush in their bid to catch the self-described sovereign citizen.
Other images show camouflaged officers climbing a snow covered hill and another officer carrying a police dog over his shoulder as he and colleagues cross a waterway.
Freeman, 56, is accused of shooting dead policemen Neal Thompson and Vadim de Waart-Hottart at a property at Porepunkah, about 300km northeast of Melbourne, on August 26 before escaping into bushland.
There have been no confirmed sightings of Freeman, also known as Desmond Filby, in the 20 days since the incident.
Acting Deputy Commissioner Russell Barrett described the search area as “incredibly, incredibly rugged” and applauded efforts from those who travelled from interstate and overseas to help the search.
“The terrain is incredibly difficult,” he said.
“The danger in terms of what we’re confronted with is incredibly difficult as well … we’re looking for a person who is armed, dangerous and has had a recent history of murdering two police officers.
“So this is not something we can do a line search, like we often do when we search for someone who is missing in bushlands.”
The search involved hundreds of properties, abandoned structures, mine shafts, plantations and gorges in an effort to find Freeman.
Mr Barrett refused to say whether the search uncovered any sign of Freeman himself, or evidence he had been in the area since the shootings.
Victoria Police previously offered a $1 million reward for information leading to his capture, the largest financial offer in the state’s history for aiding an arrest.
More than 1100 tips have been submitted since the officers were killed, including nearly 200 pieces of information since the reward was offered.
Police on Sunday lifted travel warnings for the Porepunkah area, allowing the community to return to normalcy ahead of school holidays, while maintaining a focus on the search.
The decision was difficult to make but it was important to find a balance between the need to find Freeman and the needs of the local community, Mr Barrett said.
He reminded anyone travelling into the area ahead of Victoria’s upcoming school holidays to remain vigilant.
While the search may take a different shape over time, Mr Barrett said police would not rest until Freeman was brought to justice.
He said police were considering all possibilities, including he may still be in the area, was being harboured somewhere or may be dead.
Mr Barrett again urged Freeman to surrender peacefully.
Freeman’s wife Mali and a 15-year-old boy were previously arrested, with Victorian Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush alluding charges may be laid against them.
While his immediate family have been interviewed by police, it’s understood they haven’t been overly co-operative.
Freeman’s extended family has attempted to distance themselves from the alleged killer and anti-government fanatic.
“It makes me sick knowing a family member has taken multiple lives,” one relative told the Herald Sun.
AAP
