[UPDATED] Man's body found off Port of Spain Waterfront

Police are trying to identify a man whose body was found floating in the sea near the International Waterfront Complex on Wrightson Road in Port of Spain on Monday morning.

Police said at about 8 am, they retrieved the body with the assistance of coast guard officers.

After initial checks, they said the man's body bore no signs of violence.

Onlookers told Newsday the body might have been that of a socially displaced man who would frequently sleep at the waterfront.

They said the man appeared to be unwell last Friday when he was last seen lying on the ledge near the water.

Police are still investigating the death.

The body has been moved to the Forensic Science Centre in St James, where an autopsy will be done pending identification.

This is the second body to have been retrieved from the water in the past three months.

On August 28, witnesses said Amrit Doogah, 34, jumped in and drowned within minutes.

Members of the public gathered at the scene on Monday called for improved safety and security measures at the waterfront.

“This is not the first body they pull out from those waters. The authorities need to put some sort of barrier or something. It is beautiful here, but it has to be safety first.”

Another onlooker noted children on the way home from school sometimes stop at the waterfront to play and lime.

“Just the other day, some of them chose to ramp and wild play on the ledge itself.

"That is madness. They need security and railings here. They have security in the towers and the Hyatt, but nothing for out here.”

One woman said the issue was not just safety but also security.

“People get robbed here too. When they come with their family to fish at night or just to take in the scene, the bandits harassing them. In the evening the bandits targeting people who use the walkover by Breakfast Shed.

"Maybe if they had police or something patrolling here, it would take care of anybody doing anything dotish on the ledge and keep people safe too.”

Newsday contacted Urban Development Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago Ltd (Udecott) corporate communications manager Roxanne Stapleton-Whyms to ask about the possible implementation of safety measures and increased security at the waterfront.

She acknowledged receipt but up till news time, there was no response.