ACT toddler abducted by armed man

It's feared a toddler abducted from a Canberra care home by a man armed with a knife and a gun may have been taken interstate.

Witnesses have been left traumatised after the 18-month-old girl was taken from the Barnardos Care House in Belconnen just after midday on Thursday.

Police say the child's 18-year-old mother, Canberra woman Melinda Kringle, is suspected to have been involved in the abduction.

Acting Superintendent Joanne Cameron says Ms Kringle was present when the man took the child.

She said Ms Kringle was not the child's primary custody carer.

Police don't know who the man is, or what his relationship is to the mother or the toddler.

Supt Cameron says he was armed with a 20cm-long green-handled knife and a gun, although police suspect it's a fake.

"There were weapons involved when the young child was taken and that is a concern for us," she told reporters in Canberra.

ACT police are making inquiries interstate and liaising closely with NSW colleagues for fear the child has been taken across the border.

"The ACT is a small jurisdiction within NSW and it doesn't take too long to cross the border," Supt Cameron said.

Police have undertaken an extensive search of the area but found no sign of the trio.

Supt Cameron urged any witnesses or friends and relatives of Ms Kringle to contact police.

"The care and protection of this young child is our primary focus," she said.

"Anything else following this investigation will come secondary to the safe return of this young girl."

The man is described as blonde, about 25-30 years old, wearing a beanie and a light-coloured jacket.

Ms Kringle is 170cm tall with dyed red hair, and dressed in a light-coloured singlet.

They're believed to be travelling in a blue or black four-wheel-drive.

The public are being warned not to approach the car or the pair and to instead call police.