For the first time in Victoria's history, police have put up a $1 million reward for helping them arrest Dezi Freeman. The whereabouts of the accused killer is still not known as the massive operation to find him heads into its 13th night.

Porepunkah

Victoria Police have launched an unprecedented manhunt, offering a $1 million reward for information leading to the arrest of Desi Freeman, who is wanted in connection with the shooting deaths of two police officers and the injury of a third. This is the largest reward ever offered by Victoria Police for an arrest, rather than a conviction.

Authorities believe Freeman may be hiding in bushland near Porepunkah, though they have not ruled out other possibilities, including his escape from the area or self-harm. The search, involving around 450 officers, continues despite challenging weather conditions, and police have warned the public against attempting to apprehend Freeman themselves. Local businesses and residents have expressed concern over the ongoing situation, while police remain committed to pursuing all leads.

Police offer historic reward to find fugitive Dezi Freeman

A manhunt now with a million dollar motivator. It is the largest reward for an arrest in the history of Victoria Police. Twelve days after two police officers were shot dead and a third injured, Desi Freeman remains on the run. The one million dollar price tag has previously been placed on information leading to convictions, but never for simply leading police to their target. No, it's not an act of desperation and it's far from it. Officers admit they don't know where Freeman is right now. You will be caught, it's just about when. Police say they're open to the likelihood Freeman's hiding in bushland around Porpunka with or without assistance. They haven't ruled out a potential escape from the area entirely or even the possibility he's taken his own life. We still have active lines of inquiry that we continue to pursue and we are very buoyed by the information that we have had come in to date. An information point in the nearby town of Bright has been running since early last week. Businesses around Porpunka are anxious for a resolution. You know, a million dollars is a lot of money, but in terms of what this local economy and what our brand and our community is losing in terms of how it's tearing us apart, I think that's a small price to pay. The price certainly had tongues wagging in the area today. A million dollars is not much if it's about creating more cohesion and stability. I don't have any information, so I'm probably not going to get the reward, but I missed out on the $80 million lottery, so... Police have a stern warning for any would-be bounty hunters thinking of tracking down Desi Freeman themselves. Don't do it. Otherwise, you might find yourself face-to-face with highly trained officers or a dangerous man wanted for using extreme violence. What we want is information. To end a hunt occupying around 450 officers, stretching towards the end of a twelfth day. It will continue as long as it possibly can. And Rory Campbell joins us live from Porpunka. Rory, the weather looks set to turn bad again tomorrow. Chris, you just heard there how police don't have any intention of scaling back their search. They say incoming weather won't have any effect either. The last two days have been nothing but sunshine and clear blue skies. That's about to change. Up to 35 mils of rain is forecast to fall tomorrow. Then on Monday and Tuesday, up to 15 mils could fall each day. Officers say that won't impact their search activities. Their operations are purely dictated by intelligence. They say they've had hundreds of calls so far and that hasn't eased as this search has gone on. Chris, they stand ready to respond to anything fresh they might receive as a result of this million dollar reward.

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