THE region's four police forces last night sought to distance themselves from the threat of legal action by race watchdog the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE).

The CRE said earlier this week that following an investigation it had found that 14 police forces across the country were failing to meet minimum requirements in the way they set up and ran race equality schemes.

Trevor Phillips, chairman of the CRE, said its initial findings had uncovered an unacceptable situation, although the body refused to name the forces said to be failing.

Last night, both Durham and Cleveland police forces said they believed they were not being singled out by the inquiry.

George Oliver, a spokesman for the Durham force, said: "As far as we are aware Durham Constabulary is not one of these 14 forces, and we are not in the firing line."

A spokeswoman for Cleveland police said: "We are not of the opinion that we are one of the 14 and we have not been made aware of any problem."

Northumbria Police refused to comment publicly, although it is understood they are unaffected.

In a statement, North Yorkshire police said: "Forces responded to the CRE in confidence and the results are therefore confidential."

The CRE launched an investigation into the police service of England and Wales in December and wrote to all police forces and police authorities requesting a copy of their race equality schemes.

The issue of police racism was placed under the spotlight last year by TV documentary The Secret Policeman in which an undercover journalist filmed recruits at a police training college making racist comments.

One, PC Rob Pulling, was seen wearing a homemade Ku Klux Klan-style hood, and saying murdered black teenager Stephen Lawrence had "deserved it".

Police chiefs from Durham, Cleveland, Northumbria and North Yorkshire joined colleagues nationwide in condemning such behaviour.