THE hunt for dangerous fugitive Rodney Clavell failed to yield any sign of the former prison guard, despite a fourth day of searching.

Clavell, 46, is being sought for breaching a firearms prohibition order and illegal use of motor vehicles.

Police have admitted they are frustrated that he was able to slip through their grasp during a city lockdown on Thursday.

They have searched dozens of properties, including two at Skye in Adelaide’s eastern suburbs and a house at Edwardstown.

The closest they came to capturing Clavell was on Thursday, when he was seen as a passenger in a rental car found dumped on Osmond St in the city after a short pursuit by police.

“It’s frustrating but a reality,’ Superintendent Peter Harvey said.

“It’s the business we’re in. The greatest chance is because we’re searching and that’s what happened yesterday. ... it doesn’t dampen our obligation and commitment.”

Police are also dealing with a high volume of calls from members of the public with reported sightings but, despite the pressure, are encouraging the public to actively help find Clavell.

“The assistance from the public has been fantastic and with that comes challenges,” Supt Peter Harvey said.

“There a lot of leads that might not be as strong as they’re thought to be by those ringing up — nevertheless we want those calls.

“Sometimes we don’t know if they’re false until we get out there.”

A number of Clavell’s family members and friends had been spoken to by police and dozens of homes have been searched.

Supt Harvey refused to comment on any operational details including whether police had spoken to Mr Clavell on the telephone in recent days.

Speculation was made that an arrest occurred at an Edwardstown property last night but police would not confirm.

Sup Harvey confirmed this was one of the largest operations in terms of manpower.

“This is non-stop — this is 24/7 for us,” he said.

“You probably wouldn’t see this very often in Adelaide the continual approach to chasing someone that is so public — that’s because of the fear we hold and the danger he represents.”

The career criminal evaded police for the second time in two days as armed officers swooped on two schools in Adelaide city’s south on Thursday morning.

Clavell then fled on foot and has not been seen since.

Police confirmed Clavell was seen earlier on Thursday morning as a passenger in a rental car with New South Wales numberplates, which was found dumped on Osmond St, off Gilles St, after a short pursuit by police.

Pulteney Grammar on South Tce and Gilles St Primary School were locked down as a precaution with students being kept in classrooms as school grounds were searched.

The lockdowns were lifted about noon yesterday but police failed to find Clavell or the driver of the car.

Police said an Edwardstown house was searched on Thursday night, but Clavell was not found.

“Today at about 10.30am a police officer observed Mr Clavell in a vehicle with another male — a short chase ensued and the vehicle was dumped near South Terrace,” Serious and Organised Crime Branch officer-in-charge Superintendent Peter Harvey said.

“Mr Clavell and the other man ran off towards South Tce and the area was immediately in lockdown.”

No weapons have been found so far in the vehicle.

Police say Clavell is being assisted by associates and certain people can expect then to visit if he doesn’t hand himself in.

“We are aware that certain people are assisting Mr Clavell, the penalties for this is very severe and is up to seven years imprisonment,” Supt Harvey said.

“We suspect he has access to firearms and is a danger to the community. He should not be approached ... our taskforce is totally committed to this pursuit.

“The chase is on and we won’t give up.”

It is the second time Clavell has evaded police after raids on two Skye houses Wednesday afternoon failed to find him.

Police would not confirm if the people who lived in the Skye properties were known to Mr Clavell.

“We weren’t there by accident,” Supt Harvey said.

Pulteney Grammar School principal Anne Dunstan said police and the school had handled Thursday morning’s situation well.

“We communicated with parents immediately that all students were safe and contacted them again when the incident was over,” she said.

“This is not something you ever want in any school, but we are happy that our lockdown procedures worked well and ensured the safety of our students at all times.

“We thank all staff for their excellent cooperation and handling of the incident.

“Immediately after, students and staff were debriefed about the situation and our wellbeing team was there for support.

A concerned Pulteney Grammar School parent went to the south parklands while the school was in lockdown.

“The school sent us a message. My son has been communicating with me by SMS and my daughter (was) in there as well,” he said.

“I think they are in a dark room but they are safe and everyone has been accounted for.”

The parent said he was pleased with the communication with the school.

Another parent said she was worried about the danger.

“I was very scared but I’m confident they are safe,” she said.

Clavell was at the centre of searches late on Wednesday in Adelaide’s eastern foothills.

Officers including STAR Group personnel searched two houses at Skye, east of Adelaide, but failed to find him.

Their intelligence suggested that Clavell may have been holed up in a house and possibly armed.

A search of one house on an undisclosed street failed to find Clavell, 46, and officers then moved on to a second house on Horsnell Gully Rd about 4pm.

But there was no sign of Clavell.

Supt Harvey said that police would not give up their hunt until Clavell was in custody.

“We are treating every single sighting, every single suspicion exactly the same — high risk and we will be giving all our resources to finding this man,” he told 891 ABC Adelaide.

“For anyone that’s harbouring Rodney or think they are doing the right thing by looking after him, our response yesterday is typically what’s going to follow because we are not stopping.

“Our intelligence is he was, has and most likely still has access to firearms and that concerns us.”

Supt Harvey said police were “hot on his trail”.

“The addresses we went to were specific and we had reason to believe he may have been at one of the two but what the background of that is I won’t go in to,” he said.

“Anyone that has a recall or a memory or might have seen him ... the smallest bit of information really helps us. If you think you see him, please give us a call.”

Inspector Alby Quinn said police believed Clavell was recently at one of the Skye addresses.

Insp Quinn urged Clavell, who is wanted over firearms breaches and illegal use of motor vehicles, to hand himself in.

“At this stage we have not located Mr Clavell, however we will continue to search for him over the coming days,” he said.

“While Mr Clavell is still out he is considered by us to be quite dangerous.

“We have reason to believe he is armed and therefore we are treating him as a high risk.

“We need the public to contact us as soon as they see him because time is of the essence for us and without public assistance we may have difficulty finding him.”

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Clavell should contact the police assistance line on 131 444.

Police on Tuesday issued an appeal to help find Clavell, who has an extensive criminal history.

Clavell is sought for several offences and a warrant was issued for his arrest in the Holden Hill Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

Clavell was shot twice and tasered by STAR Group officers after a chase through the Adelaide Hills in September 2004.

He was armed with a shotgun when police tried to arrest him at Callington.

Clavell then led police on a high speed chase through the Hills until he stopped at a farm near Mount Pleasant.

He stole a 12-tonne road grader which he bogged and was still armed with the shotgun when he was shot by a police sniper in the arm and thigh.

Police were then forced to taser him to subdue him.

Clavell was sentenced to four years’ jail with two-and-a-half year non-parole period for theft and firearms offences.

The former prison guard was also implicated in the 24-hour riot at Port Augusta prison in October 2008.

His trial heard he beckoned fellow inmates to follow him before the riot, which extensively damaged one of the prison’s main cell blocks.

The trial against Clavell, his son Daniel and Scott Charters, heard he went into a store room and stole brooms and mops which he handed to other prisoners, including Daniel.

Clavell allegedly called “let’s go, let’s go, it’s time, let’s do it” at the start of the riot.

CCTV footage showed a number of prisoners in a cell block pacing the corridor and then shows Clavell gesturing to other inmates to follow him just before the camera’s view was obstructed.

Following his release from prison Clavell breached parole in March 2011 by driving dangerously to escape police after breaking in to an Enfield property and stealing a car.

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