970x125
Victoria police have announced a million-dollar reward for information leading to the arrest of fugitive Dezi Freeman, after the alleged murder of two police officers in Porepunkah last month.The reward of “up to $1m” is the largest ever offered in Victoria for an arrest, said DI Dean Thomas from the homicide squad.“This figure recognises the seriousness of this violent offending and our commitment to locating Freeman as soon as possible so that he is no longer a risk to the broader community,” Thomas said.“It’s immensely important that we can bring him into custody safely as soon as possible – hopefully this reward helps do just that.”Sign up: AU Breaking News emailFreeman allegedly shot and killed the two officers when they were executing a search warrant at his residence on Rayner Track in Porepunkah in Victoria’s north-east on 26 August. A third officer was seriously injured and is now recovering at home.Freeman has been on the run since, and there have been no official sightings of him.The funeral for Sen Const Vadim de Waart-Hottart, 35, was held on Friday at the Victoria police academy, with thousands of mourners including the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, attending. A funeral service for Det Leading Sen Const Neal Thompson, 59, will take place on Monday.Since Freeman, also known as Desmond Filby, fled into the bush, speculation has swirled around how he has managed to hold out in the harsh alpine terrain. Police also acknowledged the possibility he is being harboured or helped by people in the community. Locals and experts have speculated that he may be hiding down a mineshaft or has an underground bunker.skip past newsletter promotionSign up to Breaking News AustraliaGet the most important news as it breaksPrivacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. If you do not have an account, we will create a guest account for you on theguardian.com to send you this newsletter. You can complete full registration at any time. For more information about how we use your data see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.after newsletter promotionOver the past 12 days, a significant search for the alleged killer involving 450 police has been under way. Police had scoured more than 100 properties in the area, although bad weather has hampered efforts.The Australian military was called in to help and is providing a planning specialist and air surveillance assets at the request of Victoria police.As part of the effort to bring Freeman into custody peacefully and safely, police are offering the reward for information on his whereabouts that leads to his arrest, rather than conviction as is usual practice for reward bounties.Police urged anyone with information about Freeman’s whereabouts to contact Crime Stoppers.“We believe this investigation will only be brought to resolution through assistance from members of the public … this could be sightings of Freeman, information you’re hearing in your local communities, even suspicious activity on your property,” Thomas said.Freeman was last seen wearing dark green or khaki tracksuit pants, a dark green rain jacket, brown Blundstone boots and reading glasses.Police believe he remains armed and have advised members of the public not to approach him.
970x125
970x125
