An undercover policeman "chased" himself for more than 20 minutes after a CCTV operator mistook him for a suspect. The rookie policeman was patrolling a burglary-hit area when the operator radioed to say he'd seen someone acting suspiciously. He directed the officer, who works for Sussex Police, as he followed the "suspect" on camera - assuring the pursuing officer he was "hot on his heels". The "chase" continued until a sergeant entered the CCTV control room and pointed out the operator's mistake. The blunder, which happened last month, was revealed in Police Federation magazine Police this week after a senior officer relayed the story to the mag. He said: "The operator had the suspect on camera and everywhere he saw him the keen PC was on his heels. "Then the sergeant pointed out that the CCTV operator was unaware he was a plain-clothed police officer - thus the PC had been chasing himself." Sussex Police said they were aware of the incident and "had a laugh" about it, but could give no further details.