The 37-year-old lead officers on a high speed chase from Dubbo to Mudgee on Thursday after escaping from custody at Dubbo Base Hospital around 8am.

It is alleged Biffin and Paul Robert Johnson drove onto a fire trail near Lowes Peak Road, Saint Fillans, before driving through paddocks and crashing into a deep storm channel on Wednesday.

Johnson suffered a broken neck and back, Biffin suffered minor injuries and were transported to Dubbo hospital under police guard.

Mudgee police chief inspector Jeff Boon said described the escape as, “very frustrating”.

“It does appear that there was a breakdown in communication, it’s not a matter of blaming, it was very unfortunate,” Insp Boon said. “We’ve corrected those procedures to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

Police allege Biffin stole a car from the Dubbo campus of Charles Sturt University before leading police to Gulgong, Yarrawonga and ultimately Market Street outside the Court House Hotel, where he dumped the silver Mitsubishi Pajero and fled on-foot.

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Police searched areas around Market Street, Castlereagh Highway, Mortimer Street and Court Street before moving the search to around Putta Bucca Road.

A Polair helicopter, light plane and sniffer dog have been used in the search.

Insp Boon has this warning for anyone caught harboring Biffin.

“If anybody is harbouring him, they need to know that that is a criminal offence, and when we catch him and we catch them, they will feel the full force of the law,” he said.

“We do believe that he is in Mudgee and we believe he is possibly within the town limits.

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“We’d encourage people to call us if they see him, not to approach him, call triple 0 straight away,” Insp Boon said, “we believe he is dangerous.”

“We’d ask people to be extra vigilant around their own houses, particularly with their cars. Please make sure that your car keys are secure and your house is secured. If you’re going out, take your car keys with you.

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“Anything out of the ordinary, any tiny little thing that doesn’t seem right around your street or your house or anything you might see up at the shops, please call us straight away.”

An arrest warrant was issued for Biffin on December 20, 2017 after he failed to appear at Mudgee Court on charges of ‘dangerous and negligible driving, occasioning grievous bodily harm, drive while licence application refused, drive vehicle with illicit drug present in blood second or more times in the last five years’.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.