THE man who shot constable Simeon Ryan wanted the policeman's gun, investigators believe.

Detectives said this was the motive for the attack on Ryan, which has left him critical in hospital, with internal bleeding and the possibility of being paralysed from the waist down.

Police have also identified a suspect, whose alias is Demus.

The attack on Ryan is one of the first in which someone attempted to kill a police officer specifically for his gun, investigators say.

The only incident recently in which a police officer on duty was murdered and his gun stolen was in 2004 when Special Branch Inspector Edward Williams was shot dead but the motive was not the same as in Ryan's case.

The gunman shot Ryan four times from less than an arm's length away with a pistol using .380 ammunition.

The shooting took place around 4 a.m. on Saturday outside the home of a female companion of Ryan at Dundonald Hill, Long Circular, St James.

Yesterday several police units were in the area with photos of Demus asking anyone if they had seen him.

Police also traced the gun to a gang operating in the Dibe area.

On Friday night, the gun was used in an attack near the community centre in Dibe and police were able to match the shells found at that scene and at the site of Ryan's shooting.

In the last ten years more than 1,700 people have been murdered with illegally owned guns, police records show.

Law enforcement has admitted to an increase gun smuggling and has said that the availability of illegal weapons has contributed to the high murder rate.