Police have moved the staging ground for their special operation as their major hunt for alleged cop killer Dezi Freeman enters its fifth day.
The 56-year-old Porepunkah man, also known as Desmond Filby, fled into bushland after he allegedly shot two police officers dead and badly injured another on Tuesday.
More than 450 police officers have been deployed to Porepunkah to assist with the search, including officers from NSW, SA, ACT and the Australian Federal Police.
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On Saturday, Victoria Police announced their forward command post had been relocated from Feathertop Winery to the Decca site in Ovens.
“The new site is a fit for purpose facility and will best support Victoria Police’s operational activity moving forward,” they said.
“We would like to reassure the community that police are not leaving the area. Locals and visitors to the area will still see police activity in and around the Porepunkah and Alpine communities.
“Police would also like to acknowledge the unwavering assistance from Feathertop Winery staff and management and thank them for their generosity and use of the property and facilities.”
The update comes as fierce weather impacts the search for Freeman.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Manhunt continues for alleged cop killer.
Freeman has wilderness survival experience, but recent blizzard conditions in the Victorian Highlands have whipped up wind speeds of about 113km/h and left 50cm of snowfall on the alps of Mt Buffalo National Park, which has now been closed to the public.
“The weather certainly doesn’t help, but our people are very used to working in inclement conditions,” Victorian Police Chief Mike Bush said.
Caves, mines and dugouts will be scoured by detectives — but police also suspect he may not be hiding alone.
He and his wife, Mali, are well-liked in their community, and detectives fear local residents of the small rural town could also be harbouring the fugitive.
Dezi and Mali are considered kind, helpful, church-going people by those who know them.
But concerned friend Marlie Thomas, who attends the same church as Dezi and Mali, told AAP that Dezi had been “withdrawing a little bit” in the days before the deadly shootings. The Our Lady of Snows Catholic church has been closed for the weekend.
Dezi is believed to be a sovereign citizen, an ideology that rejects government authority and whose followers believe the rule of law doesn’t apply to them, and who disassociate from society.
There were 10 police officers executing a search warrant relating to alleged child sex offending at a Porepunkah property when Freeman opened fire.
Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson, 59, and Senior Constable Vadim de Waart, 35, were both killed.
A third police officer was shot in the leg and badly injured.
Mali, 42, and their 15-year-old son were arrested on Thursday night, before they were interviewed and released.
—With AAP
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