A top former detective has warned the hunt for cop killer Dezi Freeman will become a ‘game of tag’ unless search tactics change.
Luke Taylor said the joint police and military hunt is hampered by officers’ inexperience in the wilderness where Freeman is believed to be hiding.
The search, now nearing its fifth week, has already cost millions with the involvement of hundreds of personnel. However, as Mr. Taylor noted, without increased manpower, Freeman could potentially evade capture indefinitely.
‘The police have limited resources and expertise in this environment,’ Mr Taylor told Daily Mail Australia.
‘They are generalist law enforcement, despite any sporadic training that they do in these conditions.
‘The authorities have rightly engaged specialist military personnel who are trained for these environments, but we must question whether their training focuses on manhunting and tracking, rather than reconnaissance and combat in this setting.’
The pursuit of Freeman began on August 26 when ten officers arrived to execute a routine search warrant at his Porepunkah property concerning historic sexual assault allegations against a minor.
At about 10am, police surrounded the converted bus where the ‘sovereign citizen’ was living with his wife Mali and their two children.
Daily Mail has seen vision showing the 56-year-old flatly refusing to unlock the door as officers took it in turns with a crowbar to force entry.
The desperate hunt for cop killer Dezi Freeman is close to entering its fifth week
Freeman vanished following a deadly shootout as ten officers tried to serve a routine search warrant at his Porepunkah property on August 26 (pictured).
A former detective said the joint police and military hunt is hampered by inexperience in the harsh terrain
Moments later, police gained access through a window and the standoff exploded into violence.
Two shots were rapidly fired, resulting in the deaths of Detective Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart at point-blank range.
Freeman then stole weapons from the slain officers before disappearing into the dense bush.
Despite an extensive search effort involving 450 police and Australian Defence Force members, Mr. Taylor cautioned that the fugitive’s survivalist skills mean efforts are still insufficient to ‘effectively control the area.’
‘Once the patrolling officers have worked through an area, who is there to maintain that area?’ he said.
‘A roving line search can easily be evaded and doubled back upon, and using animal feed tracks will throw off the scent of dogs.
‘As a prepper he is likely to have a cache of supplies in the bush, much like any experienced multi-day hiker who fills and conceals buckets in the ground.
‘Unless we have enough troops to clear an area and hold that position, we could be playing tag for some time.’
Former detective Luke Taylor warned the fugitive’s survivalist skills means 450 troops is nowhere near enough to effectively control the area
Freeman is a prepper and likely to have a cache of supplies in the bush
Mr Taylor also suggested politics are shaping the response as much as operational decisions.
‘The political versus public confidence issue has real considerations because they want to appear as though they have the situation in hand,’ he explained.
‘Throwing 2,000 extra military into the scene would speed up the arrest, but would also raise further debate on effectiveness and use of resources.
‘They appear to be riding out the media cycle in the hope that it just happens, rather than achieving a result.’
The former detective warned this could push the public to become complacent or worse, turn Freeman into a folk hero.
‘The general apathy of the community will come into play, as they will feel the risk is reduced, be less vigilant and eventually, less caring,’ he said.
‘This could even trigger a misplaced admiration of a Ned Kelly figure, one which 200 years later is so misguided and unrepresentative of our society that Dezi Freeman is railing against.’
During week two of the search, police announced a $1million reward for information leading to Freeman’s capture but while more than 1,000 tips have been received, not a single confirmed sighting has been made.
The ex detective warns a roving line search can easily be evaded and doubled back upon
Prior to the bounty, police raided a number of houses belonging to his friends and family, but each operation was seemingly fruitless.
Last week Daily Mail received photos of Ms Freeman’s car with every window smashed and tyres slashed, sparking speculation it was a strategy to provoke the fugitive out of hiding.
But Mr Taylor cast doubt on those claims.
‘It’s unlikely there was any order, instruction or suggestion from police command to vandalise property in order to bring Freeman out of hiding,’ he said.
‘Provocation is not a tactic, and criminal damage and malicious damage is a crime that would not fall under any operational act or provide immunity from.’
Instead, he suggested anger within the community may be to blame.
‘It is understandable that a member of the community is outraged at the callous and murderous actions, with or without any direct ties to the slain and injured officers,’ he said.
‘It is also possible that a member of the business community is enraged at the periodic lockdown and economic impact on their community. There’s potential for a great deal of suppressed hatred coming to the surface.’
Dezi Freeman pictured years ago in the wilderness
Earlier this week, Daily Mail revealed extraordinary photos of Freeman living wild in the Mt Buffalo ranges, sparking questions over the fugitive’s self-styled identity.
In the images, he is dressed in a loin cloth, smeared in tribal face paint, his long hair and deep tan giving him the appearance of a Native American warrior.
But in reality, Freeman’s roots are far closer to home, his mother was Australian-born, while his father came from the UK.
