CAMPAIGNERS and councillors have vowed to do all they can to make Basildon town centre safe after a shocking sexual assault in a car park. 

A rape investigation has been launched - with a 34-year-old man in custody - after a woman was attacked in the Asda car park at the Eastgate Shopping Centre at 4am Sunday morning. 

The shocking incident came just days after the launch of Basildon Council’s women’s safety charter which aims to put a spotlight on crime against women and help ensure women and girls feel safe in the community. 

Basildon Council’s leader, Gavin Callaghan, said: “I am shocked to hear about this and my thoughts are with the victim.

“Crimes like this have no place in our town and it reinforces my view that the town centre safety plan we are working on is needed more than ever.”

The councillor said he feared Sunday’s incident could have a wider impact on the community, especially on women and girls. 

He said: “This will undoubtedly have a knock-on impact on the safety of women and girls in the town and I want to reassure them that we are doing everything we can to try and make our town safer quickly”.

One effort to make Basildon a safer place for women and girls was the creation of a Women’s Safety Charter, commissioned by the council and due to be announced in coming days.

Council members and business owners at the Women's Safety Charter partnership launch Council members and business owners at the Women's Safety Charter partnership launch (Image: Jessica Power)

It is the brainchild of Karen Whybro, a women’s safety advocate who works with councils and local governments to create frameworks around protecting women and girls.

Karen, who played a pivotal role in developing Basildon’s Women’s Safety Charter, said: “The point is to raise awareness about how prevalent sexual violence is.

“Essex police have described this as a rare event, but we know sexual violence is prevalent in all of our communities.”

Having first pioneered the concept of a Women’s Safety Charter in Chelmsford, Karen now helps councils across the country implement similar schemes.

“We train people in how to call out misogyny and sexism where they see it, to identify abusive behaviour and harassment so women can feel safer in their communities,” she said.

“This report is really going to worry a lot of women, and I think we need to be mindful not to describe it as an isolated incident.”