Victoria farewelled one of its most dedicated police officers today, as thousands gathered to honour Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson, who was killed in the line of duty on August 26, 2025, near Porepunkah.
The 59-year-old veteran officer, just days away from retirement, was remembered as a man of courage, integrity, and humanity. His partner, Sergeant Lisa Thompson, delivered an emotional eulogy at the Victoria Police Academy chapel, recalling how one shift together had changed the course of her life:
“In eight hours, I learned everything about him — his passion for the Bombers, for hunting, fishing, and chasing crooks. I had never laughed so much with someone I had just met. Neal became the love of my life, and I will cherish every moment we shared.”
The funeral, attended by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Premier Jacinta Allan, Police Minister Anthony Carbines, and police commissioners from across Australia and New Zealand, was a profound show of solidarity. A police hat was laid gently on Neal’s casket beside a bouquet of flowers, while the force’s air wing performed a flyover in tribute. Thousands of uniformed officers formed a guard of honour that stretched beyond the gates of the academy.
Neal Thompson’s career spanned nearly four decades. He began in 1987 with general duties in Collingwood, later serving in the Major Fraud and State Crime Squads, before settling in Wangaratta in 2007. Colleagues remembered him as the “light side” of a tough profession — a mentor, a friend, and a man who embodied the very meaning of public service.
His death, alongside 34-year-old Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart, came during a police operation to arrest alleged child sex offender Dezi Freeman, also known as Desmond Filby. Freeman fled into the bush and remains at large, prompting one of Victoria’s most extensive manhunts in years.
As Lisa Thompson recalled their final weekend together — “our best” — working on their new farm, dining under the stars, and leaving “nothing unsaid,” her words captured the profound personal loss behind the public tragedy.
“Neal taught me to love without fear, and to be brave when I’m scared. I don’t want to live life without him, but I will be brave, I will honour him, and I will cherish every moment we had,” she said through tears.
Victoria Police described Thompson’s sacrifice as the ultimate price of service. Police Association Secretary Wayne Gatt summed up the grief of many:
“Service has a price, but it should never be this. Neal deserved the life after policing that he had planned, but instead he gave his life protecting others. His loss is shared by the policing family and by an eternally grateful Victorian community.”
Today, Victoria mourns not only a fallen officer but a man who devoted his life to protecting others — a hero whose legacy will endure in the lives he touched and the community he served.
