MANHUNT FOR AUSTRALIA’S MOST WANTED: 20 Days On, Hundreds of Cops Still Hunting ‘Armed and Dangerous’ Dezi Freeman in Victoria’s Wilderness
- Dezi Freeman, 30, is accused of shooting dead two police officers at his Porepunkah property on August 26
- New Zealand officers briefly joined the search, which is now Australia’s largest ever tactical police operation
- A $1 million reward is being offered for information that leads to Freeman’s arrest, with over 1,100 tips received so far
For 20 days, a massive manhunt has been underway in Victoria’s north-east for **Dezi Freeman**, the 30-year-old accused of shooting dead two police officers at his Porepunkah property. Hundreds of officers from Victoria, interstate, the Australian Federal Police, and the army are still searching for Freeman, who is considered **armed and dangerous**.
Acting Deputy Commissioner of Regional Operations, **Russell Barrett**, revealed that the New Zealand contingent took part in an intensive search on Friday in the immediate vicinity of Mr Freeman’s Porepunkah property. “This included incredibly rugged areas, they were crawling through caves, they were traversing rivers and falls, they were searching plantations and gorges,” Acting Deputy Commissioner Barrett said.
The search area includes steep, difficult terrain, with officers searching small caves and mines around Porepunkah for any sign of Freeman. Despite the challenges, police say they won’t leave until they find him. “We consider he may still be in the area, it’s a possibility he may be harboured, or he may be dead,” Acting Deputy Commissioner Barrett said.
Travel restrictions have been lifted in the area, but police are urging anyone travelling to a holiday house to report anything unusual upon arrival. “It’s really important for us to know immediately if a burglary has occurred at a house that’s normally vacant,” Acting Deputy Commissioner Barrett said.
President of Bright and District Chamber of Commerce, **Marcus Warner**, said business owners are rejoicing at the news that the travel warnings have been eased. “The fact that the sun’s out … we’ve still got snow on the mountains, springs blooming and the school holidays are around the corner,” Mr Warner said. “They’re all just so relieved.”
A $1 million reward is being offered for information that leads to Freeman’s arrest. “We’ve had over 1,100 pieces of information all up, and we’re working through that,” Acting Deputy Commissioner Barrett said. He urged anyone with information to come forward, saying “we’re open to exploring all information and intelligence, and we’re getting that from broader areas”.
Acting Deputy Commissioner Barrett again urged Mr Freeman to call triple-0 to arrange a surrender plan. The search for Freeman continues, with police determined to bring him to justice.