Nurse appalled at wallet, phone theft

A wallet and phone was stolen from a Hawke's Bay nurse yesterday afternoon.

A Hawke's Bay nurse is shocked after her wallet and cellphone were stolen from a hospital ward office yesterday afternoon.

It was the first incident of its kind for the woman, who has worked at the hospital for 36 years.

The nurse, who did not want to be named, said the theft happened swiftly and seemed to be "slick and well planned".

She said "it was a really crummy thing to do" and it had ruined her evening.

Constable Ryan Palmer said he "hadn't heard of it happening in the hospital before".

"They [the nurses] all seemed pretty surprised."

Police and hospital security were immediately advised and camera footage believed to be related to the incident had been found. Hawke's Bay Hospital has security cameras throughout the hospital and campus.

Mr Palmer said he was told the footage clearly showed the thieves and "we just have to identify who they are now".

It was not yet known whether there was any cash in the wallet but when the nurse called to cancel her cards it became obvious some of them had already been used.

Hawke's Bay Hospital acting chief executive Tim Evans said the theft from a staff member who came to work to care for patients was a "low blow" and the district health board would do all it could to assist police.