THIEVES stole vital navigation equipment from an ambulance after it was called out to an emergency, police said yesterday.

The vehicle's crew members were attending to a patient in the Walker area of Newcastle when the remote controller for its satellite guidance system was taken.

Regional ambulance bosses described the theft as despicable and said there would be a review of security procedures.

It could mean paramedics on their way to an emergency having to stop and lock the doors of their vehicles after parking, potentially wasting vital life-saving moments.

A spokesman for Northumbria Police said the theft happened between 5.07am and 5.25am on Saturday.

The doors to the ambulance had been left unlocked as staff treated a patient inside a house, in Baret Road.

Paul Liversidge, director of accident and emergency services for the North-East Ambulance Services, appealed for witnesses.

He said: "It is despicable to think that someone has stolen this vital equipment from an emergency ambulance.

"The equipment is very important. When crews are trying to get to a patient's address it helps them get there faster and could make the difference between life and death."

The navigation system uses satellite technology to guide ambulance crews to a particular address and cannot be used without the remote control device.

It is relied on when staff are called out to areas outside the vicinity of their own station and are not familiar with the street layout.

The ambulance service was unable to release further details about the emergency they were attending when the theft took place, because of patient confidentiality.

But they said the incident did not affect the patient or any other call-outs the crew attended later in the shift.