A list comprising 21 wanted men and persons of interest was released by the St Andrew South Police Division on Friday.

Those wanted are for crimes including murders and shootings, with commander of the division, Superintendent Damion Manderson, singling out Cockburn Pen and Waterhouse as communities in the division requiring great effort from the security forces to keep the areas safe.

From January 1 to March 23 this year, St Andrew South accounted for 21 murders, compared to 16 over the corresponding period in 2023.

Of the 19 police divisions across the island, St Andrew South placed fourth with murders behind St Catherine South with 22; Westmoreland with 24; and St James, 35.

Over the period January 1 to March 23 this year, 251 people were murdered in Jamaica, which was 30 less than that for the comparative period in 2023.

“We have no recent incident necessarily in Cockburn Pen right now, but we have to be keeping our fingers on the pulse there. We have to be keeping close watch on the community with our heavy deployment inside there, with operational activities to prevent anything. The individuals so listed are those we believe can assist us greatly with the investigations,” Superintendent Manderson told the Jamaica Observer on Friday.

In Cockburn Pen, Omar Headley, otherwise called Popeye, of 6 Mahoe Drive was listed as a person of interest to help police with a murder investigation. He is said to frequent Mahoe Drive and Niggers Lane. Also a person of interest to the St Andrew South Police, in connection to a murder in Cockburn Pen, is a man known as Vasques of Finch Crescent.

Also in Cockburn Pen, a Lafayette Mackie, aliases Pangy and Patman, of 1B Mahoe Drive was also named as a person of interest to help in a murder investigation. Another person of interest in that murder investigation is Nickola Marvin Reid, alias Yankee, of Barton Road, Westchester, Portmore, St Catherine.

Jessie McLaren, meanwhile, was listed as wanted for shooting and wounding with intent.

Superintendent Manderson said that in Waterhouse the police have achieved a lot of success in trying to keep quiet the usually violent community.

“Over time we had some successes there, in terms of apprehensions and firearms seizures, and some good community policing, but it continues to be one of those areas that give us drips of incidents, like a broken main. It keeps giving us these occasional drips of incidents that are of concern because of the nature of them. Our intent across St Andrew South is to have safer communities.

“What we find is that a lot of incidents in these communities stem from old feuds from years back. These include family-related feuds, similar to what we see in a recent situation on Binns Road. The people listed as wanted or persons of interest are so because of our intelligence and what we would have managed to put together thus far. The community is supportive. We are getting cooperation from the residents, but we still have a way to go,” the senior policeman said.

In Waterhouse, Andrew Powell, aliases Killer and Bounty, of Largie Road, Kingston 11 is wanted for murder.

A Rasheed Thomas, alias Kobe, of 17 Trinidad Road, Kingston 11 is wanted for murder as well, along with Oshane Cephas, alias Ity, of 1 South Anderson Crescent, Kingston 13, for murder and shooting.

Dwight Miller, otherwise called Glasses, and a man known as Teddy Boy also made the list of wanted men from Waterhouse in relation to murders and shootings.

And Aaron Leslie, otherwise known as Gun School and Bossy was named as a person of interest along with “Oliver TNU” as well as a man by the name of “Oliver” who is said to frequent Bottom Delacree Lane.

Persons of interest in Olympic Gardens were a man known only as Blacks of Hunts Bay Lane and another known as Tobby Boy of Pine Road.

Among the men listed as persons of interest to assist with murder investigations in the community of Whitfield Town in the division are Marcel Slew, alias Zella; Kevin Harvey, otherwise called Brainz; and Christopher Henlan, otherwise known as Reverend and Rev.

In New Haven, also in the division, Antonio Reynolds, alias Son Son, of Marlborough in the community is wanted for murder, while Kareem Mills, alias Deafy Boy, was listed as a person of interest to help solve an ongoing murder investigation.

Derrick Johnson, alias Bush, who is said to frequent 7th Street in Greenwich Town, found himself on list of persons of interest in connection with another murder investigation, while Eddie Francis of Bow Tie Lane is wanted for murder.