You're on the air with Jason Lauren Clints here as well. Hey, coming up inside the next ten minutes. We love when people recommend things in this city, like you've got to go to this hairdresser. Oh my god, you've been to this cinema. They've got the nicest seats. There's a particular food that we have all been recommended.
However, we've been arguing over it.
We you've divided us.
It's been the one thing that's almost pulled the show apart. This morning. We are going to put that to rest.
We are and I shall win the debate.
We will get to that coming up in the next few minutes.
Okay, but first, it's been described as Australia's biggest tactical police deployment in history. That is the search for Desi Freeman in Victoria's High Country, the accused police killer. So we've got officers not just from vic Pole but also from every state and territory here in Australia. We've also got New Zealand police officers. Of course, the Chief Commissioner now Mike Bush was formerly the Chief Commissioner in New Zealand. It's an extraordinary search for this bloke. To bring us
up to date. Is the Acting Deputy Commissioner Russell Barrett from Victor Tory Police. Good morning, Acting Deputy Commissioner.
Good morning. Thanks for me. That's a mouthful, isn't it.
We go with us.
I think that's probably easier else.
So where do we stand right now? What? What? What is the latest on this search? We saw some video video and some photos amazing on socials last night and on the news. It's an extraordinary search.
Well, it is, and I think I think the the images actually give some some reality of what we're dealing with. To be there, like we all, I suppose unless you spent a lot of time up in that high country, if you think of it as pretty nice, nice land, which it is, but it's it's actually really rugg it's brain in some areas and really difficult places to search. So we had to search, I suppose, in terms of the operation that we've completed, we had to search a large area and we had to do it in one go.
We couldn't do it in sweeps or in piecemeal approaches.
We just couldn't through tactical reasons. So to achieve that we had to call on our technical friends from all different jurisdictions across the Australia and New Zealand, and we work with them all the time in training and to ensure because every now on again we need to support each other around there specialist people with really high skills and it's unusual though and in facts in how have you untraced and to actually call on everyone simultaneous.
So you mentioned the search. It's still going correct in no way you guys are pulling back on numbers like you're going to continue until you find them.
Yeah, look at the search is on going, is on going today, it continues the weekend. How the technical support that we got from other states and New Zealand has left us in some ways. We've still got some people still with helping Victoria. But if I onet going to seed, I was suppose that's for operational reasons. But yeah, the search continues. But the search is only one element of
our investigation. I think that's a bit that it's a bit you can silly, and it's a bit that it's the visual bit that everyone's focused on this massive land search in the high country, But our investigation is much broader than that. This is this is a homicide investigation, and we're using all of our usual investigative techniques to try and establish freemans whereabouts and bring in before the courts. But it's a component of that is a massive ground search.
Do you feel like you're getting closer, Well.
I think we are. It will closest if you to vibe, but we're eliminating options and in terms of in terms of good practice employees that that that that moves us forward, and in terms of what we've done over the last in the end of last week and over the weekend, it enabled us to actually, you know, say to the community, you know, we can now have some level of conference that people can give return to that area. But the park is still closed and it's how I am our
goal to get the park reopen. But we've got some more things we need to do before we get to that stage. But we need there's so many things we've got to work our way through in this investigation. It's not just investigation. We've got a community that you know, is reliant on on tourism and reliant on and on people going to the era, and and so we need to work with them to ensure their laws if it's aren't being impacted by what is a massive search.
And how are the Victoria Police holding up because obviously this is a huge man hunt, but on.
Top of it, there is a lot of emotion. You've lost two of your own.
I know, I can't imagine how the force of feeling right now, but what what what is happening within Victoria Police?
How is everyone h.
Yeah, there's look, you know holding up well, you know, a lot of wealthare around people, and the around particularly you know, we've got people who know knew the two offices really really welcome and so you know, we've we've we've we've got a large chunking and say use the word engine. I'm not sure it's the right word, but you know in terms of, you know, a welfare engine that kicks and and we're really buoyed by the support
from the community. Was kind of commenting on your message the day after, like you know that tribute you played or you know, wrote and read out on air, those sort of things really mean a lot. They let us know that, you know, the community with us, and we're seeing that and that really helps keep our members up and about and focused on en roll. They understand their
role and they're very good at functions. But to know the community is supportive and people are feeling for them an emotionally is a huge thing for us.
I'm glad.
Can I ask you about and Look, I get that it's intel, so you don't want to, you know, dissect the investigation. Are you confident that this bloke is alive? Is there a chance he's dead?
Look, I think we've said it probably for a while out I said it yesterday. We're open to all options in terms of an investigation. We don't eliminate any options until we're absolutely confident that they've gone So all the options are available. We still have a view and we're working on a view that he might be contained within the area, that he may be being harbored by somebody outside of the area for our search, or that he said all of those viable options that we're working to.
We don't close our minds to any option. We just continue to work with a view that all of them are things we need to work our way through to establish the truth of them, or alternatively eliminates them as a viable option. At this stage, all of them are still on the table.
Right and just quickly the one million dollar reward still in place.
Yeah, absolutely, and you know we've we've.
Had done on that scale. Yeah.
And in terms of it for arrest, it's not. It's not for conviction, which is which is an unusual an unusual piece, but it's all we normally normally it's information leading to a conviction. But with what we're saying me is if you can give us information that leads him to be arrested, then there than the reward, then triggers. And we've had over twelve hundred different information reports come
in now and we continue to get them. And we would say to any community member who has any information out there, please call us information.
We need money.
Too many time wasted with that though, people that think that oh we might you know, just put our case we get a cut of that. Yeah.
Look, there's there's no doubt get we get information that isn't isn't valid or viable, but that we would we wouldn't. We wouldn't at this stage. I wouldn't encourage them not to ring in. Let us make the decisions around that because orderately, and I think you know it's important in terms of the conversation this week, well, now that we've said to people you can return to the high country. We'll have people who have holiday houses up there who
haven't been there for a few weeks. In fact, with school holidays coming up, they're probably planning to up there. We need to know immediately they are right, if there's something not right, if they look and say, you know, someone has been here or someone because these pieces of information will help us that we don't have at the moment, and it might be the bit of information that leads us to somewhere else that leads us to his capture.
And just finally, is it fair to say, Russell, you won't stop until you put a full stop on this. Yeah.
Absolutely, our investigation and you know we will continue to reassess our operational deployment to this and and what is needed to actually achieve outcomes in the investigation. So there's no doubt that there will be a change in temper if we don't find him in search, because our ground search is only one element. But the actual investigation will not stop, and an investigation is far broader than just
the ground search. And I can tell the community and tell you for him, and if he's listening, our resolve will not change. We will continue to investigate until we reach conclusion in this matter, until he's arrested and brought before the justice. I can guarantee that, God.
Said Acting Deputy Commissioner Russell Barrett, joining us on the air. Hey Russell, good luck and great work you guys are doing. Mate.
Yeah, thanks for joining us. We love Victoria.
They're a big part of our show and our family here as well, so we're thinking of you all and we wish you all the very best.
Thanks, thanks Russell, thank you, Thank you everyone.
I'll tell you what a million bucks you know, if there are people trying to help him money talks.
Oh, I sure hope.
So you know, Yeah, it's it's just a terrible, terrible, terrible circumstance.
So hopefully it's good sorted out.
Tell you what's a good point what he said, like people returning to the holiday home. Yeah, you see something out of place.
And also the community up there has suffered a lot through no fault of their own, so please get out and support small businesses, support where you can and try and help out us. With a woman on the news who owned cafe and she'd lost twenty thousand dollars in revenue over the last couple of weeks, so if you can, please support local businesses up there. Jason, Lauren Lauren wake up feeling good following them on the socials.