WOULD-BE thieves who attempted to steal a satellite navigation system from an ambulance have today been slammed by the ambulance service.Paramedics were answering a 999 call in Cambridge Drive, Ipswich when a group of youngsters climbed into the ambulance and attempted to snatch the screen of the satellite navigation system.

WOULD-BE thieves who attempted to steal a satellite navigation system from an ambulance have today been slammed by the ambulance service.

Paramedics were answering a 999 call in Cambridge Drive, Ipswich when a group of youngsters climbed into the ambulance and attempted to snatch the screen of the satellite navigation system.

They were chased from the ambulance by a warden from sheltered housing complex Vinnicombe Court, but the group of youths managed to damage the vehicle's dashboard.

Matthew Ware, spokesman for East Anglian Ambulance Service, condemned the youngsters today and said it was the twelfth time thieves had targeting ambulances in the region this year.

He said: “It is ridiculous to deprive an ambulance of a piece of equipment just to get a few quid for the stolen item.

“These people are the lowest of the low.”

Paramedics were called to Vinnicombe Court at about 11am on Saturday, April 29 to reports that a woman in her 80s was suffering from heart problems.

As the crew went inside to treat the woman the youths climbed into the cab and tried to steal the screen.

Mr Ware said the incident had not delayed the ambulance in getting to Ipswich Hospital but said had the equipment, or the dash board, been severely damaged the ambulance may not have been driveable.

He added: “It is absolutely pointless to steal a satellite navigation screen from an ambulance because the screen itself is exactly that - it is just a screen.

“The system is actually built into the ambulance.”

The incident is believed to have happened at about 11.10am.

Anyone with information about the incident should call Ipswich police on 01473 613500 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.