POLICE are unaware when a CCTV surveillance van could return to patrol Footscray’s streets, after the only one of its kind in Victoria was involved in an accident.

On 28 February, a new Footscray police officer was driving the van to the Western Bulldogs Community Festival and Family Day at Whitten Oval.

Footscray Inspector Ian Geddes told Star the officer “miscalculated the height of the van” as she accidentally drove it beneath an overpass.

One of the cameras on top of the van got disconnected and fell onto the road near the corner of Victoria and Barkly streets.

Insp Geddes said he believed a divisional police van crew found the camera and took it back to the Footscray Police Station sometime after the accident.

Insp Geddes also said he was not sure when the surveillance van, which is used across the state but predominantly in Footscray, would be back in use.

“We’re still assessing the extent of the damage and are still testing the camera,” he said.

He said the officers, who usually went out in the van, would be on foot patrol throughout Footscray’s CBD until the van was fixed.

“Significant damage was probably done, the camera was ripped from the roof and no doubt it will be costly to repair, but we don’t know whether they’ll need a new one yet,” he said.

He said the officer who drove beneath the overpass had only been working at the Footscray station for about two weeks prior to the accident.