Police have shared dramatic new vision from the frontline of their 20-day manhunt for accused gunman Dezi Freeman.
Specialist police, guided by the dog squad, crawled through a tiny cavity less than one metre high as they combed an intricate labyrinth of caves and mine shafts in Mount Buffalo Park, near Porepunkah.
Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Russell Barrett today said the search for Freeman after he allegedly gunned down officers Neal Thompson, 59, and Vadim De Waart-Hottart, 34, and injured a third has been the “largest tactical policing operation ever undertaken” in Australia.
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A total of 125 specialist tactical police, comprising officers from Australian state and territory forces and New Zealand police, carried out the latest operation – the largest of its kind in Australian history, according to police – around the Porepunkah area last Friday.
Barrett said officers had traversed “incredibly rugged areas” during the search, including navigating rivers, falls and plantations and calling through caves.
“It’s an extensive area, really difficult terrain,” he said.
Police have conceded they are no closer to finding Freeman ahead of the search entering its third week tomorrow.
“We consider he might still be in the area. It’s a possibility he may be harboured or he may be dead too,” Barrett said.
The police have offered a $1 million reward for information that leads to the capture of the man.
Earlier this month, investigators said some people had knowledge of where Freeman was hiding from police.
Barrett said police were open to “all options” about his location.
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Travel warnings lifted
Police have lifted travel warnings for Porepunkah, but are reminding residents and visitors to remain vigilant as the search for Freeman continues.
Members of the public had been earlier advised to avoid the small town in the Victorian high country.
Barrett said the move was to enable local residents to “return to a state of normality”.
Locals have breathed a collective sigh of relief as the normally thriving town struggled for nearly three weeks under major travel restrictions.
“It’s been hard, we lost I’m guessing, in the 20 thousands in turnover,” Cherry Walk Cafe owner Leanne Boyd told 9News.
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