MORE people in the region are being prosecuted for race hate crimes, according to figures.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and the Commission for Racial Equality yesterday both denied there had been a dramatic rise in the number of assaults, saying victims were more willing to report crimes because they were being taken more seriously by police and courts.

The report, which also covered religiously aggravated offences, showed that fears of an anti-Muslim backlash following the London bombings in July last year were largely unfounded.

There were no religiously motivated offences in Durham, Northumbria or Cleveland during 2005-6, although national figures showed there was an immediate rise in July 2005, which did not continue.

In North Yorkshire, race crimes went up to 54 from 37 in 2004-5. In Durham, prosecutions for race crimes rose to 102 over the past 12 months, rising from 34 in 2004-5. This followed the opening of the country's first "hate crimes" courts in Newton Aycliffe and Consett, both County Durham, which handle sensitive cases such as racial assaults and abuse, sex crimes and domestic violence.

The CPS also now works with other agencies to improve the prosecution process, while new witness care units support victims and witnesses.

Durham's chief crown prosecutor, Portia Ragnauth, said last night: "More people from minority communities are coming forward to report crimes because they have a growing confidence in the criminal justice system."

Martin Goldman, the chief crown prosecutor for Cleveland, said that 96 people had been prosecuted in his area, against 56 the previous year, with the conviction rate rising to 90 per cent.

He said: "Racist and religiously aggravated crimes are particularly nasty because victims are targeted solely because of their identity or beliefs.

"These crimes do not just affect individual victims and their families, but whole communities.

"We continue to prosecute racially aggravated offences robustly. This report encourages us to believe that more victims are coming forward to report such incidents as they now have confidence in the way that we prosecute the cases."

Northumbria CPS prosecuted 280 people last year, 31 on the previous figures. A spokesman said: "Reporting has become easier and we have witness care units tailored to help people through the whole process."

Most race cases were in the London area, which prosecuted 926.