Police say they have received a “remarkable” amount of information about accused gunman Dezi Freeman as they explore a reward for details leading to his capture.
Freeman, 56, has been on the run since August 26 following a deadly confrontation at his property in Porepunkah, about 300 kilometres north-east of Melbourne.
Police officers Vadim De Waart, 35, and Neal Thompson, 59, were killed and a colleague badly injured.
More than 400 police continue to search for Freeman on foot and by air across Victoria’s high country.
Locals have been warned not to approach the fugitive because he might be armed.
Victoria Police have said someone knows where Freeman is.
On Tuesday, Superintendent Brett Kahan said the public had been forthcoming since a fresh public appeal on Monday.
“The amount of information we’ve received in the last 18 hours since speaking to the media has been remarkable,” he told ABC Radio.
He said police were not yet considering a reward for information leading to Freeman’s capture but “that’s an avenue that police will explore”.
Former homicide detective Charlie Bezzina said the scale of the search operation would be challenging to maintain.
“Financially, it’s a major impact on the operating budget of Victoria Police,” he said on Tuesday.
“I would hope to see some assistance from the [Victorian] government because if it comes out of the operating budget, there’s got to be resources cut elsewhere.”
As the search entered a second week, Bezzina said there would be difficult discussions about potentially scaling it back.
Any decision, in weeks or months, would likely take into account factors such as whether authorities believed Freeman could survive in the bush or was still in the area.
“It will be a very, very difficult call for police command,” Bezzina said.
“It’s difficult because it’s damned if they do, damned if they don’t.”
Victoria Police is reportedly yet to ask for any additional financial support as part of the manhunt.
Last week, state Police Minister Anthony Carbines said the state government was ready to provide anything extra the force needed.
High-tech equipment, including a police helicopter with infrared and thermal cameras that can detect heat through dense bushland, is being used in the search.
Michael Coates, an experienced drone search and rescue operator, believes the accused killer has found shelter or moved out of the area.
“If the person is in a cave or a rock ledge or in a mine shaft and they’ve got no visible presence to the sky, then they basically remain unrecognised as there is no way of seeing through the ground,” he said.
Coates said Freeman may have stashed food and water but his survival would be hampered by efforts to stay hidden.
Meanwhile, the town of Porepunka is slowly beginning to reopen, although locals and tourists have been told to limit movements in the region as the search for Freeman continues.
Bright and District Chamber of Commerce president and Pepo Farms chief executive Marcus Warner said local operators had reported a 60 per cent loss of income since the search started on August 26.
Local restaurants and accommodation operators had told him of mass cancellations and being forced to cut casual shifts, with one business $10,000 out of pocket.
“It was a pretty painful weekend,” Warner said.
“If the search continues into the next week and beyond they will have some immediate cash-flow issues.”
Marty Robinson, a family friend who has known Freeman for about 30 years, said the police deaths left a mark on the town.
He runs Marty’s Porepunkah Garage and said most of his bookings were cancelled last week and business is still quiet.
Tim McCurdy, the local state MP, said foot traffic in the nearby tourist town of Bright improved on Tuesday but was “shocking” on Monday. One business had told him it had 41 cancellations last week.
“I could walk into any shop [in Bright] I wanted to and talk to the owner – there’s just nothing going on,” McCurdy said.
“VicPol is saying stay clear of Porepunkah and I get that.
“We’re now in day seven, so people are starting to get a bit antsy and a bit anxious, saying ‘when is this going to finish’, which obviously nobody can give the answer to.”
De Waart will be farewelled on Friday, followed by a funeral for Thompson on September 8.
-with Callum Godde
Live News
