KEY POINTS:
A woman who stole a three day old baby girl from a Perth hospital yesterday had convinced the mother to let her take a photo of the child while the mother left the room, police say.
"The mother ... has told police she was approached by an Aboriginal woman in her late 20s to early 30s and asked if she could take a photograph of the baby," Inspector George Putland said.
"The mother left the room and returned a short time later and noticed the baby was missing from its crib."
The acting executive director for the hospital's women and newborn health services, Philip Aylwood, said security footage of the incident had been given to police.
"King Edward Memorial Hospital has provided police with security camera footage and has been cooperating fully with the police investigation at every stage," Mr Aylwood said in a statement.
He said staff had provided police with "invaluable information" to help police trying to find the missing baby girl and reunite her with her mother.
The woman who took the baby is believed to have told staff she was the girl's mother.
The family of the stolen baby is being supported by the hospital and its staff.
The hospital says it will thoroughly review its security measures.
"We would like to reassure our patients and the wider community that the hospital is secure," Mr Aylwood said.
©AAP 2007
