People across Worcestershire are being urged to help stamp out hate crime across the county.

As part of National Hate Crime Awareness Week, which runs from Saturday, October 11 until the following Saturday, members of the South Worcestershire Safer Community Partnership including six young police cadets and mascot Billy the Bear were on hand at Bell Square in Crowngate on Saturday speaking to shoppers about hate crime while handing out wristbands and information.

A hate crime is defined as any incident which is perceived by anyone - whether the victim or an onlooker - as having been motivated by prejudice or hatred.

Although 330 hate crimes were reported in Worcestershire in the last 12 months, experts have said about 90 per cent of such incidents go unreported, meaning there could be more than 3,000 in the county every year.

Community safety manager at Worcester City Council Jude Langton was on hand at Saturday's event and said she hoped it made people passing by think twice about hate crime.

"We know about 90 per cent of hate crimes go unreported because people generally expect some kind of hassle some of the time," she said.

"But we want people to report any hate crime - not just when it happens to you but also if you witnessed it."

She said she hoped the event - the first of its kind in the county - would become an annual fixture.

"This is the first time we've come together to try and do something positive about this," she said

"Hate crime can be for many reasons such as age, disability or sexual orientation.

"Anecdotal evidence says it happens most often on buses with people with learning difficulties.

"It can destroy people's lives - people end up having to move house or even getting murdered.

"In 2007 Sophie Lancaster was murdered just because she was dressed in gothic clothing.

"You might not think it will happen to you but she probably thought the same thing.

"We just want to change the ways people think about it - if we have 600 reports in the next year rather than 300 it will be a success."

To report any incident of hate crime call police on 101 or in confidence at www.report-it.org.uk.