Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart, one of two police officers killed in a shooting in Victoria's high country, will be honored at a funeral today. The service is set to take place at the Victoria Police Academy in Glen Waverley, starting at 11 a.m. A guard of honor will be formed by fellow officers as the Belgian national is laid to rest.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan are expected to attend the ceremony. De Waart-Hottart, 35, was fatally shot alongside his colleague, Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson, 59, while serving a warrant at a property in Porepunkah on August 26. The two officers were part of a team investigating historical sex offenses.

The suspected gunman, Dezi Freeman, remains at large, prompting a manhunt involving 450 police officers that has now entered its eleventh day. Detective Leading Senior Constable Thompson will also be honored with a police funeral on Monday.

Wayne Gatt, secretary of the Police Association Victoria, released a statement ahead of the funeral, expressing condolences. "Six years in a job you love is too short. A life that gave more than it took, to have been ended in such a way, is an indescribable injustice and a tragedy," Gatt said. He praised de Waart-Hottart for his dedication, stating, "You wore the uniform with honor and represented it with kindness, compassion, and a just heart."

De Waart-Hottart had served with Victoria Police for seven years and was fluent in multiple languages, including English, French, Spanish, and Flemish. He was on secondment in regional Victoria at the time of his death. He is survived by his parents in Belgium, a younger brother in Switzerland, and extended family in Melbourne.

The funeral is open to police, friends, and family. In a show of respect, all police stations will fly their flags at half-mast today in honor of their fallen colleague.