A new app aimed at helping people to report hate crime has been launched and has received the support of cabbies in Birmingham.

The app, called Eyewitness, has been developed by Birmingham-based entrepreneur Mahtab Khan and wants to offer those who witness or suffer hate crime an alternative route by which to report them.

The Birmingham Taxi Owners' Association has partnered with the team behind the new Eyewitness app to use active citizenship as a way of recording and reporting crimes they witness in the run up to National Hate Crime Awareness Week which runs from October 10 to 17.

The Eyewitness app is free to download and use from Google Play and the Appstore and allows users to record criminal incidents and send evidence to the police or media simply and quickly.

The app automatically logs the time, date and location and the evidence collected is stored remotely so it cannot be lost or accidentally deleted.

More than 350 black cab drivers are expected to download and use the app.

Ravinder Johal, from the Taxi Owners' Association in Birmingham, said: "Every day our drivers see all sorts of things.

"We want to help to make our city safer for everyone but drivers simply can't take a day out to fill in complex forms. Eyewitness is ideal because of the speed and simplicity."

The Taxi Owners' Association will also be helping to improve Eyewitness with feedback and comments.

Mr Khan added: "The association's 350-plus tech-savvy drivers ferry around millions of passengers every year and are already active citizens.

"Eyewitness makes it easy for them to report what they see to the police or the media quickly and without hassle. Hate Crime Awareness Week is intended to raise levels of awareness.

"We're going to help by simplifying crime reporting in a way that's more suited to today's digital culture. We're encouraging all active citizens to use it to capture evidence and report it."