A young officer has been remembered by colleagues, friends, and family at a private funeral as the search continues for his alleged killer.
Senior Constable Vadim De Waart-Hottart, 34, was farewelled at the Victoria Police Academy on September 5, 2025.
Hundreds of police officers, along with police dogs, gathered in and around the chapel, which had its capacity doubled to accommodate the crowd, but it still wasn’t enough, with many attendees spilling into hallways and overflow rooms.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Chief Commissioner Mike Bush, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan, and Police Minister Anthony Carbines were among the mourners.
Inside the chapel, a table displayed the medals Sen Const De Waart-Hottart will be awarded, alongside a Batman statue, reflecting a childhood favourite.
After the ceremony, the police air wing will perform a flyover while officers line the streets in a guard of honour, before a private cremation.
Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson was also killed in the same violent confrontation with Dezi Freeman at a Porepunkah property on August 26, while another officer was seriously injured.
State police union leader Wayne Gatt, who had never met Sen Const De Waart-Hottart, spoke to the crowd of officers who did.
“A life that gave more than it took, to have been ended in such a way, is an indescribable injustice and a tragedy … we will never forget him,” he said.
Det Lead Sen Const Thompson will be farewelled with full honours on Monday, September 8. Both funerals were private, with the public asked not to attend.
Sen Const De Waart-Hottart, originally from Belgium, had recently been assigned to Wangaratta in Victoria’s northeast from the public order response team.
Fluent in four languages, he had purchased his first Melbourne home, enjoyed scuba diving, collected local gin during international trips, and went on motorcycle rides with friends and colleagues.
He is survived by his parents, Carolina and Alain, in Belgium, his younger brother Sacha in Switzerland, and extended family in Melbourne.
Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Glenn Weir, a 44-year veteran who has attended numerous funerals of fallen colleagues told ABC Radio Melbourne, “Today and Monday will be really tough days,”
“We wrap our arms around our people and we get on with it, because that’s what we have to do.”
Meanwhile, hundreds of police officers and Australian Defence Force personnel continue to search for Freeman, 56, who fled into bushland following the shootings.
More than 100 Alpine properties have been examined and authorities believe someone may know his whereabouts.
Freeman is considered an experienced bushman and holds views consistent with the sovereign citizen movement.
Images: Victoria Police
